Transcendent
by xGlassFoxx
Summary: Doesn't follow original plot. There are many beings that live in this world. Some include the Demons of the Land, and the Humans of the Earth. However, a long forgotten race, only passed down through stories and legends, still exist. That is, the Angels of the Sky. Mai, the last Angel, struggles to survive in an unfamiliar world, with unfamiliar faces. Hiding her true nature.
1. Prologue

Here goes:

**IMPORTANT NOTE:**

**The prologue starts before the time of the Shinsengumi. It just introduces the new race and how they, including the other races had interacted with each other. Chapter one then fast forwards to the same time period as the Hakuouki anime. THEREFORE THIS STORY IS SET IN THE SAME TIME PERIOD AS HAKUOUKI, THOUGH DOES NOT FOLLOW IT'S ORIGINAL PLOT.**

So if this time setting in the prologue puts you off, please do continue to read the next few chapters, as it does go forward to the Hakuouki time period! Thank you (_)

There is only focus on the ONE OC after this chapter.

Thank you, and enjoy~

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Prologue**

THE BOWSTRING WAS taught, as he pulled it back. The muscles in his shoulders were flexed. I endearingly gazed at my second eldest brother Yuki, as he concentrated. Then, without a sound he let the arrow loose. It hit his target, the white rabbit. His older twin applauded.

"Ehhh? Yuki, it seems your skills lie with the bow after all.' Shiro mused.

"Indeed. Just as yours lie with the sword, brother." Yuki replied, cool blue eyes lighting up. They continued to talk and banter until Shiro, used his power. The wind startled to rustle and clouds began to form.

"Oh? Brother, you want to spar now?" Yuki grinned and the snow around his feet whipped up, creating a small blizzard around his form. Both fought for dominance as they each tried to outdo the other. Just as it seemed that neither would win, and the fight was to continue for longer afterwards, Shiro paused slightly at his own onslaught of power.

"Hmm. I would like to continue this Yuki, but it seems that we have company watching us. It would not be polite to fight in front of a lady." Shiro smirked.

"Tch. I'm sure she would enjoy watching us, Shiro." Yuki's face was full of mischief.

They both turned to me.

"Little sister, really you should not come out with us when we are on the hunt. Women are scarce as it is, and we cannot risk you getting hurt." Shiro scolded.

I floated down from the tree I was hiding in. My wings folded together as I landed.

"Brothers, it seems that nothing ever escapes your notice." I pouted slightly.

Our race of angels was not large and everyone was related to another in some way. However, it was very rare for a female angel to be born. Therefore, females were highly valued and protected. Living in a place full of males, I truly wished that I had some female company. My mother had passed away years after she bore another son. There was only one other female in our clan of angels, Aki, though she was hundreds of years older than I. This was only my 18th winter.

My two brothers glanced at each other, and then faced me again, giving gentle smiles.

"Mai," Shiro started "If you fly between us on the way back home, then I suppose we could let you stay out with us for today."

I bounded up and hugged them both.

"Thank you!' I grinned. Meanwhile, Yuki went out to collect his kill. Shiro and I both watched as he offered a prayer of thanks to the rabbit for providing for us.

"Come now. The others have probably finished their gathering and hunting."

I nodded, as we all opened our wings, ready to take flight.

* * *

Closing my eyes, I enjoyed the tender caress of the wind upon my wings. The rest of my brothers flying around me, creating a protective circle. Then it hit me, a hint of smoke was carried within the wind. Concerned, I noticed as all the other angels stiffened, wary of the danger.

It was not surprising for humans or demons to hunt our kind. Humans hunted us for our soft feathery wings, whereas demons had used to hunt us to steal or capture one of the female angels.

It seemed that female demons were also scarce. Furthermore, it was speculated that having a child mixed with Demon and Angel blood created a child with far more potential than anything else.

Although in the last few years, Angels and Demons seem to have come up with an alliance of sorts due to the humans. They have attacked and injured many of us, and therefore it was decided that we would preserve what few of us was left.

As our hunting group neared I cried at as I saw flames greedily licking up the remnants of our home. Humans chasing down and killing what angels tried to fly away with their bows and arrows. None of the angels tried to fight back. They did not wish to harm the humans, even though they mercilessly kill our kind. To fight back, they believed would only lead to more bloodshed. I spotted two young angels, barely reaching their 9th winters, were hiding behind a clearing of trees. One boy seemed to be leading the other.

I quickly swooped down towards them as the other four males followed. The leading boy saw our group heading towards them and sighed with relief. They both bowed their heads in respect to the hunting party. I approached the boys and embraced them.

"What happened?" Shiro asked the boy gently. As the next in line for the clan head, Shiro had an aura of leadership and dominance around him. The leading boy, whose name I found out was Natsu, answered back.

"The late lady Aki was out gathering herbs with her guards, when they were attacked by a group of humans. She flew back with one other guard as the rest faced the humans. They didn't make it, and the humans followed her back here." I felt a pang in my chest at the fallen guards and lady Aki. Shiro glanced at me.

"Mai cannot stay here, it is too dangerous. We must not lose her." He turned to Yuki and the other members of the hunting party.

"Yuki, take Mai and the children somewhere safe and stay with them. I entrust this important task to you. The others are with me. We shall try and rescue any survivors."

"Shiro!" I protested. "I have the power of healing, please let me stay."

"No Mai, even if you were to heal them, the injuries still transfer to you and will weaken you. I cannot take that risk. Go now."

I glared. I knew Shiro was right, but I didn't want him to go in like this. I didn't want to lose him just as I had lost everyone else just now. Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes, and I lightly wiped them away.

"Come, Mai." Yuki held onto my wrist and let me into the skies with him as Natsu and Kyo, the other boy, followed.

I flew with the rest as Yuki created a small snow storn around us to conceal us from unfriendly eyes.

"There is a small cave close to where we are. Let us go there and wait for Shiro to come with the survivors."

I nodded.

As we continued to fly there was a sharp intake of breath and Kyo spiralled down, an arrow stuck in his heart. Natsu looked stricken, while anger filled the Yuki's handsome features. His pure white hair whipped in response. More arrows followed the first. Without thinking I grabbed onto Natsu and held him in my arms. Yuki strengthened the storm around us and sent it down towards the ground where other humans had been hiding. I could tell he was weakening due to much of his power going into the spar he had earlier with Shiro. The look in his eyes was desperate, as I felt his power slowly ebbing away.

"I'm sorry Mai, but we can't risk losing you. Natsu, you were gifted with the power of fire right? Stay with me."

"Yuki!?" He rushed to me and held me in his arms, while Natsu struggled free from my grasp. I felt a feeling of relaxation wash over me as I realised what Yuki was trying to do. He was using the last of his power to enclose me in ice.

"Please… Yuki, don't." I whispered, a tear escaping my eye. Yuki wiped it off, and smiled.

"This, my sweet sister, is my last gift to you. Take it, and live."

We fell into a river, breaking through the sheen of ice that had been on top. Yet, I could not feel the cold bite of the water.

With that, I felt the last of his power completing what it had started. And I was washed in a sea of darkness, encased within my prison of Ice. Yuki's crystal blue eyes, the last thing that I saw.

* * *

**End of Prologue. If there are any mistakes please do tell me. Make sure to read the 'Important Notes' section!**


	2. Chapter One

Sorry I didn't explain it in the prologue, but as this story doesn't follow the story line there are some differences and similarities. In this story, the shinsengumi are still a police force of sorts, and aren't feared. You'll see as you read along. It'll explain itself.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_Where._

IMAGES OF FIRE and of soft white feathers doused in life blood filled my vision, different from the darkness that I have been swimming in for so long.

_Why._

Humans. Many of them mercilessly slaying beings with wings crying in victory at their freshly made kills.

_What._

Blue eyes filled my vision, full of love, caring and promises of what could have been.

_Yuki? Shiro!?_

I drifted in and out of consciousness. I didn't know what day or season it was. I didn't feel cold, or warm. I just felt… empty. Nothingness. And that scared me more than the carnage I could see in my mind.

_Where am I? Why am I here? What happened?_

For what felt like days, but was probably mere hours, my mind drifted when finally, I couldn't breathe.

I felt cold wet, and numb.

Water. I was underwater.

Gathering my strength, I surged upwards to the glittering rays of light, shimmering just above the surface of the water. I took in a gulp of air before taking in my surroundings and faced the sun. Closing my eyes and allowing it to warm my cold face and for the numbness to fade. I felt disorientated and dizzy. Where was I?

I paddled towards the edge of the river and climbed out. The light white dress robes, clinging to my body.

It wasn't cold. In fact, it was quite warm. It seemed to be summer. I collapsed at the base of a nearby tree and tried to gather my thoughts. My clothes almost immediately dried. It was made of the finest spider silk that the angels could find.

When everything came crashing back, I let out a startled cry. Exhausted and hungry, I felt like passing out.

_No. _

I extracted my wings into my body, as to not draw unwanted attention. This… This was their gift. My brothers had made a sacrifice, to keep me alive and I shall honour that. If they had not already come to find me, then that meant… they were gone.

I allowed myself a moment of weakness as I started to cry, and let all of those bottled emotions come rushing out.

* * *

A while later I wiped away the last of my tears.

_Enough._

I was unsure as to what to do or where to go. But my brothers had given me a life to live. And so, live it I shall. Although…I wasn't sure about what I wanted to do.

Adjusting my robes, and pulling my long waist length hair into a bun, and securing it with my comb, I followed the flow of the river until I came across, a town or a village. I entered it and carefully analysed everything. There were stalls with many people showing off their wares. I saw a lady picking up a comb, and handing a few small circular objects to the respective merchant. Glancing around, a few others did the same. I approached one of these merchants who seemed to be selling supplies for travel. He was quite young, and seemed to be around my age. He stared at me.

"You're not from around here, are you miss." It wasn't a question, and was more like a statement. However, I still nodded to confirm what he had just said.

"Um, where am I?" I asked in a polite tone of voice.

"Ah? My apologies. Why, this is Kyoto! Welcome, to my store. Here you can find many fine wares for travel."

I looked around.

"I do not have anything to trade with you though." I replied realising those small coins were used to trade with the merchants. His eyes flashed.

"You mean coins? Are you alone here? If you are willing to… uh work.. I guess I could make an exception..." I started to feel uncomfortable with the way he stared at me. Males from my family had often stared at me like that, and Shiro had always been there to shield me from those penetrating eyes. But, not this time. Not anymore. Instead, I turned my body away from him.

"The clothes I am wearing now." I said suddenly. He cocked his head sideways, asking me to elaborate.

"I'll trade these clothes for some of yours. Before you judge them come and have a feel of the material. It is of the _best_ quality there is." He approached me, as I held out my arm so he could feel the sleeves. As he touched them, his eyes widened.

"This.. Why, it is so soft and.. as light as air. As if it is not there at all."

Nodding I added, "Give it strong tug and you will find that it is also very strong material."

He did just that. "It is as strong as steel. Very well. You may pick anything here in exchange for those clothes."

"And for some coins." I quickly added.

He thought for a moment before nodding again.

"Very well. These clothes will fetch quite the high price amongst the higher ranking ladies anyway."

After I picked out some clothes that were meant to be worn by men, I handed over my robes, feeling sad at having to part with them. However, I could always search for some more spider silk, and that prospect made me brighten up.

In return, the young merchant handed me a few coins. I thanked him and left. The day was still bright, and my stomach growled, making me remember how hungry I was. I tied my hair into a ponytail, and hid my comb inside one of the robes pockets. It was the last thing I had, that came from Shiro. On my wrist, was the last thing I had from Yuki. A small bracelet that was adorned with a golden bell. The sound it made was pure and sweet. I Kept walking, my mind elsewhere.

_'Like your singing. Although, it cannot compare to your beauty or the true sound of your voice.' I rolled my eyes. 'Yuki!' Shiro scolded. 'Do not try to woo Mai when you should be alert for danger. There is time for that later.' Yuki grinned and said 'Do not be jealous brother, we all have to share her after all'. Shiro glared. I laughed slightly, and they both turned to me with gentle stares. _

A pang of sadness swept through me. I snapped out of my trance when a sweet scent reached me. Persimmons!?

I rushed over to the stall. The person there smiled at me_._ I bought a few and sat down near a small group of children.

I bit into the first persimmon and closed my eyes, enjoying the taste of my favourite food. When I looked around from where I was seated, I noticed that the faces of all the women looked afraid. When some made eye contact with me, they would avert their gazes. I devoured my persimmon slowly, when something caught my attention.

A woman, ripened with age was telling a story. It was not only children who were gathered I realised, as I saw some men and women off on the sides.

"You could always tell an angel by the grace of their movements, and the sound of their voices. Some say that if you listen closely during the night of the new moon, you can hear their mourning voices, singing out to call home those that have been lost."

The children chattered in excited whispers amongst themselves. The adults still listened, entranced in the wise woman's story.

"The angels harnessed the powers and elements of the land. This included fire, ice, wind, earth and lightning. There were many different kinds of powers. The rarer ones included that of pure, raw power, that would only destroy, and the power of touch, that could heal any injury. Although, I hear the tears of an angel can bring loved ones back from the brink of death, and their blood, is an elixir to any poison and terminal illnesses. Even so, they were a race that valued honour, and peace."

I snorted a little. Our tears could heal but could not bring back a person from death. That was impossible. One someone is gone, that's it. I thought a little bitterly. Our blood however, was an elixir to poisons. How much did this human woman know about my kind? My snort drew the attention of some of the adults. A man with brown hair and eyes, that reminded me of my green forest home, looked at me. Beside him was a man with indigo hair, which was tied off to one side. I couldn't see his face since he was still watching the wise woman. They both had swords strapped to their sides. It reminded me of how Shiro would carry his blades.

The woman finished her story telling, as some gathered people thanked her and gave her coins. As the crowd dispersed, I approached the woman.

"Do you..." I hesitated "Do you think that there are still angels among us?" She looked at me and I was surprised to notice that she was blind.

"You aren't from around here are you?" Before I could answer she continued.

"That, my child, is something that only the angels would know, don't you think?" She gave me a knowing smile, and I handed her two coins, after thanking her. After a while I could tell that the atmosphere of this town seemed… off. I wasn't sure what it was, but it seemed as though everyone was very wary.

* * *

Only a while after I finished my exploration the rest of the village that I noticed that I was being followed by the two men from earlier.

It was late afternoon and the sun was setting, I needed a place to stay though I wasn't sure where. I considered my options.

I could leave this town and fly around and search for a cave, or I could find some shelter in the nearby forests. I decided on the latter, since I didn't want to be spotted with my wings out.

As I neared the edge of this town, I stiffened, the man with the green eyes blocked my way out. I turned, deciding to take another path, when the man with Indigo hair appeared from around a corner. I was trapped.

Anxiety washed over me. Did they know what kind of creature I was? Would they kill me for being one?

The one with green eyes spoke first.

"You, boy. You're not from here."I scoffed a little. Was it really that obvious!? I considered my white hair and blue eyes. Maybe it was... But that guy over there has _indigo_ hair.

What do you know of the disappearances of the women in this town?"

Huh?

* * *

**End. If there are any mistakes please do tell me.**


	3. Chapter Two

Sorry for anyone who's out of character.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

I STOOD THERE dumbly, trying to process what the green eyed man had just said. He slid out one of his swords and the blade caught the light of the setting sun. He was right in front of me now.

"Well?" his eyes narrowed.

"I.. Excuse me?" I was too distracted with the sword that was being pointed in my face. My legs were slightly sore, unused to walking so much. Angels had their wings after all.

"Don't play dumb. You're surrounded. Confess."

At that, 3 more men emerged.

The shortest one, that was still taller than me, had brown hair tied back in a ponytail. Another had dark red hair also tied back, this time, in a low ponytail. In his hands he held a spear. The third had spiky hair with a green bandana. All five men in the clearing and looked at me expectantly.

"Okita," the shortest called out to the green eyed man, "He looks so young, I don't think he knows what's going in."

"For once I agree with Heisuke." Another called out.

Okita, the man with his sword pointed at me, scrutinized me for a moment, before sheathing his blade.

"Fine, but he's still coming with us."

After they had a short conversation in which I learned their names, the one named Saito came up to me and nudged me forward. I didn't want to open my wings to fly and let them know what I was. So, without a choice I started walking, taking one last longing glance at the forest. My legs and feet ached. Never had I walked for so long. It was unnecessary for my kind. We had always been unaccustomed to walking and had always used our wings for travel. We'd always float just above the ground, our feet grazing the earth, or we would simply fly. Three of the men, Sanosuke, Shinpachi and Heisuke, were joking around, throwing words at each other. I only caught broken sentences of what was said.

"This kid… Skinnier… Heisuke…" Bursts of laughter followed.

I was lost in my own thoughts again until we arrived at the destination. My hands were then tightly bound, and they took me inside a room, where I was forced down onto my knees. I sighed a little, feeling better despite the situation, now that I was off my feet. I just didn't really know what to do anymore. My family was gone. I don't know where I am, or what I should be doing. I'm lost. Everything felt empty. I remember as a young fledgling, that humans were dangerous, and that we should avoid them as much as we can. So much for that.

The original five men also seated themselves in there, while I saw three more unfamiliar faces. One had glasses, another had long black hair, and the other had short hair.

After the situation was explained, one of the men turned to me.

"Do you know why you are here?" He asked while I shook my head.

"What is your name?"

"Ma.." I trailed off. I was dressed like a boy, and needed a male name.

"It's Shiro."

"Hmm." The man replied, glancing at my white locks of hair. They all regarded me for a moment.

"Where are you from?"

I didn't know how to answer that. I don't know how long I've been encased in ice, nor anyplace that existed now. I disliked lying.

"From.. the mountains. I have lived there for all my life and only recently have I left it to see the world. This is my first time in such a large place." I eventually replied.

"Hmm. You are here, because recently, there has been a series of kidnappings. Mostly of young women. We believe that these people have a hideout somewhere in this city or in the nearby surrounding areas. As an outsider, have you noticed anything strange?"

I thought for a moment. "No."

"I see." There was a brief moment of silence.

"Do you have a place to stay, Shiro?" I shook my head again.

"In that case, since this is your first time here… maybe you could stay with us?" My eyes widened at the offer.

"Kondou san!" the male with black hair in a ponytail remarked.

"Now now Toshi san. He seems to be a very young boy, we should offer him a place to stay. How old are you Shiro?" The man, Kondou asked my politely.

"I'm almost 18 sir." It _was _my 18th winter back then anyway, but since I was frozen before the actual day I wasn't 18 just yet. Angels were immortal though, so age wasn't so important. Gender was.

Silence met my answer.

"He's old enough to be a man!" The one called Hijikata Toshi exclaimed.

"He looks so very young though. Beautiful enough to be a woman...Rather, is there anything that you can do, Shiro? Fight with a sword perhaps?" Kondou said. It seemed they were surprised at my age.

I felt a slight sting of tears in my eyes. The _real _Shiro could use the sword. I can't.

"I'm a healer, of sorts. I have a vast knowledge of herbs and plants." That was true. Even though my gift was the power of healing, I was taught of many herbs and plants in order to heal, so I would not have to always rely on my power. It was a dangerous power since it put the user at risk by transferring the injuries to themselves from their patient. Even then, our blood and tears were used by humans as medicine after they had killed us. It was an added bonus, they believed, that came with our soft wings. Perfect materials to hunt.

Kondou nodded at this.

"Welcome to the Shinsengumi, Shiro. Hopefully, you'll be able to learn more of the world while you stay with us. Show him to the spare room next to Chizuru's." I felt tension in the air at the mention of that name. The men gave off a grim feeling.

"Thank you, for your generosity, sir." I bowed low. Hijikata glared.

* * *

After some brief introductions, I was led to the room that I was to stay in. It was dark outside, now and I heard my stomach growl. Taking the last persimmon from my bag, I slowly chewed on it while considering my options. These people didn't seem too bad. Although, I was slightly upset to find that there were no women here, as I was hoping to be able to interact with other girls. I was interrupted in my musings when there was a knock at my door.

"Yes?" I asked.

"It's Saito. I'm to take you around the complex and show you around."

"Alright, I'm coming."

I followed the silent, and stoic man around as he pointed out key areas to me and taught me about the rules of the complex. I silently took everything in, struggling to remember everything. Afterwards, he took me into a room where everyone sat to eat for dinner and I thanked him, bowing low. He blinked at me, before nodding. Most of the men seemed to all be quite lively. More questions were also thrown my way.

"So… Shiro, were you named that because of your hair?" Heisuke asked.

I laughed softly, before answering him. "My.. mother .. she had a love for beautiful names that she deemed to suit us."

Just as I finished my sentence another question was thrown my way.

"Are there any other skills you have besides healing?"

"Can you use a spear?"

"Have you ever sparred?"

Slightly overwhelmed with all their questions I answered each one.

"I can't use any weapons nor have I ever sparred. Although, I can sing and dance."

Heisuke, Sanosuke and Shinpachi all stared at me before bursting out in a fit of laughter.

"AHAHAHHAHAHHAH SING AND DANCE?" Shinpachi roared.

"You look quite feminine Shiro, and with those skills, you must have been mistaken to be a woman many times." Heisuke gasped out.

"If you were a lady, Shiro, then you would have been one of the most graceful and beautiful ladies I have ever had the fortune to meet." Sanosuke continued.

Taking that as a compliment, I smiled nervously.

"Yeah… I guess…"

If only they knew, I mused.

Heisuke was still laughing, and almost toppled over. Gasping in surprise I reached over to try and catch him. My comb slipped out from my pocket.

"Ehhh? Whats that Shiro?" Shinpachi picked up my comb. He studied it. It was quite sophisticated. The intricate design on the comb was of golden maple leaves, incorporated into a fine, blue silk background. It also had some pink sapphire gems tastefully embedded to make the piece as artistic and striking as possible. Shiro had made it himself.

"Oh? Do you have a secret lover Shiro? Was that hers?" Sanosuke added to the teasing.

"No, that's my comb." I said, my face completely serious.

The three men all looked at me. I realised my mistake.

"Its… For… My hair.." I finished lamely. "It.. Its quite long, Okay?!" I tried to defend, though the damage had been dealt.

They all started to guffaw as Shinpachi returned my comb, tears had even gathered in the corner of their eyes. Even Okita, and Hijikata seemed to be amused. I looked down, embarrassed.

For the rest of the night, I learned more about each of them. My opinion of humans changed a little. While my heart still ached. This setting reminded me to much of my home own home, and of what I had lost. The way they interacted reminded me of dinner times with my family. It felt so lonely, without them. Perhaps… I could find a place among these humans.

* * *

**End. If there are any mistakes please do tell me.**


	4. Chapter Three

Mkay the story is developing a little more here.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

I STRETCHED OUT my body and rolled onto my stomach, also stretching my wings. Sunlight streamed in through a small circular window. It warmed my skin.

Opening my eyes, I noticed where I was before hiding my wings again. I Let them fade away, slowly disappearing into my body.

Walking out of my room, it was still quite early. I ended up going to the kitchens. Entering, I noticed that Saito and Okita were up, making breakfast.

"Good morning."

They both replied in turn.

"Do you both cook the food here?" I asked.

"No, we take turns doing it." Saito replied. I walked up to Okita to see what he was making. It was fish.

"Hmm. Do you keep any herbs and spices?"

Okita pointed it out to me.

Looking through I was pleased to find the herbs and spices that I was searching for, returning back to Okita's side.

"If you add these spices and herbs to the fish, not only does it improve the aroma, but theses herbs are also known to relieve tension and muscle cramps, and improve heart health." Okita stared at me as if reappraising me, before nodding.

"I see."

Wondering over to Saito, I sat beside him and watched as he silently stirred the contents of a pot.

"I was wondering, would it be alright for me to go out to the forest to gather some plants or so? I will need it for my medical supplies."

Saito turned to me and answered, "I'll talk to Hijikata san about it. Though, I'm sure he'll be fine with it."

I bowed my head in gratitude. Saito nodded again, understanding what I meant with the action.

After breakfast, the some of the men went to spar whilst others had gone out to patrol.

I found the room where the men were training. Slipping in unnoticed, and finding a place where I could sit without getting in the way of the men, I simply watched.

There seemed to be many men that lived in this compound. Considering the size of this place, I wasn't too surprised.

A group of four men sparred in one corner of the room, whilst others seemed to train alone or in pairs.

I spotted Shinpachi and Heisuke in another corner of the room. They were both furiously engaged in their fight, not noticing the few spectators gathered at a safe distance around them. Each of the men not allowing the other to rest for a moment. Heisuke suddenly lunged to one side of Shinpachi, who went to defend his own side. At the last moment, Heisuke changed path, and somehow managed to loosen the wooden sword from Shinpachi's grasp. Reluctantly Shinpachi admitted defeat, but not before throwing some jokes at Heisuke.

"Shiro?"

Leaning back, I noticed that Saito was behind me.

"Hijikata has agreed to let you go out to the forest, but I am to accompany you. We can leave now if you like."

Nodding, I stood up and followed him out of the room.

* * *

Walking through the forest, Saito silently followed behind me as I slowly scanned the ground for medicinal plants. I hoped that Saito wouldn't notice what I was about to do next. I placed my hands on the forest floor, feeling and listening to the heart of the forest. Carefully, I made my way through trees and shrubs before finding a patch of rare plants. Saito didn't make any comments. Instead he seemed to be fully on guard. Vigilant.

Hours went by as I discovered more herbs. Making some small talk with Saito. He was quiet, and only spoke when needed, or spoken to. His company was enjoyable. The silence wasn't awkward, in fact it was just nice. To be relaxed in the presence of another.

It reminded me of some of my brothers. The ones who were in the guard. They had always kept watch over me, and had constantly scolded whenever they caught me trying to sneak out. The only times I was able to get away from them, was when I told them I was with Shiro or Yuki. Though, the guards didn't have to know that Shiro and Yuki were both unaware that I was following them out.

"We're being followed." Saito said, his back was to me, both his hands resting on his Katana, as the men had called it.

I stood, already having gathered the final plants that I needed.

"Stay close to me, Shiro."

"I will."

At that moment, eight men burst from the trees, all armed. Cursing, Saito crouched into a defensive stance.

My eyes widened slightly. There were too many of them. Saito couldn't possibly take them all with me being in the way. I could use my power to erect invisible shields as it was a gift that came with my healing. To heal and protect. However, the extent of my powers were still weak in comparison to my brothers. I was unable to fully awaken them. Besides, it was too risky, and I would be found out.

Frustrated I stared at the ground. To help, and risk being discovered, or to stand aside and risk this man's life? Humans may have hunted our kind, but not all humans were bad. These men whom I had met only yesterday they... They weren't bad.

Nobody is born evil. It is the world that makes evil fester and grow inside of us.

One of the men spoke.

"Hand them over." He had a scar on his face that went from his cheek to his Jawline. His eyes were sharp and beady. His hair was choppy.

Saito frowned slightly.

"You have already taken her."

Listening to their conversation, I tried to discern who 'her' was. The conversation from yesterday… The way the men had all been so grim at the mention of Chizuru. Seeing as I had not yet met her, I deduced that he had meant Chizuru. This must be the gang that has been kidnapping the women from Kyoto.

The man glared. It made his scar stretch and look bigger than it actually was. More menacing.

"The person behind you. Hand him over."

Saito looked at me before saying.

"What is he to you?"

"Our business with him is none of your concern."

With that one the men lunged forward. Taking one last glance at me, Saito pushed me behind him. As one mad approached, he drew his blade, and took him down in one movement, before sheathing it again.

There was a brief pause, before the rest of the men charged, attacking him all at once. Saito took down another man, before 2 more stood in front of him, wary. They circled each other, while I kept behind Saito. One of the men broke the circle, whilst the other followed suit. With swift movements, Saito cut one down, then brought up his katana to defend the attack from the other man.

As they engaged in combat, two more men appeared from behind us and grabbed me, pulling me away from Saito. He turned and tried to reach me, but the other men interrupted him, leaving him no choice but to fight them.

I tried to wriggle free of the men that grabbed me, struggling from their grasp. I elbowed one and he moved his arm to hit me, when the other man stopped him.

"This good, is not to be harmed. The value would drop otherwise."

Using this momentary distraction, I brought my leg back and kicked the man who held me. He cried out and let go of me to hold his leg. I ran.

There were some shouts, before my wrist was grabbed and I was roughly pulled back. A cloth was slapped over my mouth. Unsure as to what it was, I took in a sniff before feeling a wave of dizziness hit me.

I held my breath, and pretended to slacken a little. Hoping for the chance to run when they let down their guard.

It was already too late though. Whatever was on the cloth had already made me feel drowsy and weak.

I blacked out.

* * *

**End. If there are any mistakes please do tell me.**


	5. Chapter Four

Reviews or criticism is helpful. Here's another chapter.

**NOTE: **The thing with my stories is that I make the story in my mind as I write, and the story just shapes itself... So... if things don't add up or make sense, please tell me~

Thank you.

Enjoy ~

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

MY HEAD POUNDED and my body ached. I lazily blinked a few times, and moaned aloud. I reached up to touch my temple, and winced in pain. Pulling my hand back, I noted that it was covered in something red, and slightly sticky. Blood. It would heal soon anyway. I wondered what I possibly did to hurt this much. I turned my body over, only to hit something else.

A yelp greeted me.

"I'm sorry!" I exclaimed, before pausing.

It was dark, and cold. Aghast, my jaw dropped.

"Uhm, not to be rude, but who are you?" _Or what are you?_ Although, I didn't add that in.

"I…I'm Yukimura Chizuru. So you were kidnapped to…" She mused.

Chizuru!? It was that girl that everyone seemed so sad about! Once they knew I had found her, they would be so relieved! Wait.. she said kidnapped…

Then, I remembered what happened and panic settled into my gut. I remembered blurred images of strange men, demanding for me to be handed over. I wondered why they would want to kidnap me, when they were a group that kidnapped women… Unless.. they knew? A soft moan pulled me out of my thoughts. I can think about this later.

"Um, Chizuru, hi. My name is M.. Shiro." I hastily corrected myself, before continuing. "Some friends are looking for you! They'll be so glad once they find you!"

"You mean.. Hijikata, and Kondou and the others?"

I nodded before I realised she probably couldn't see me in the dark so instead I confirmed her question out loud.

I was about to say something else when other voices sounded out from the darkness.

"Oh my! So you're finally awake! We were worried about you. When the men came in with you, they just dropped you onto the ground! It made an awful thud."

Well, that explained the pounding in my head, and the injury.

"You said we. How many others are there?"

There was a pause, and I waited patiently for the girl to answer.

"There were… about 18 of us… but a few days ago some men came and purchased 2 of us. Since then, a few more are purchased every day. There are around… 9 of us right now, including you. Though, it's hard to tell since women come and go all the time."

I collected my thoughts together. We were not bound, which may come to an advantage later. If the men did not bind us, it meant that they were confident that we could not escape. Either confident, or foolish. If it was confidence, then it may be because they did not see any of the women as a threat, or they had enough men here to handle us all. Thinking back on the attack concerning Saito, I concluded that it must be the latter. I continued to analyse further into this situation.

Coming up with a conclusion, I said to the other women, "I… I have a plan. Although it may not work, some of us may be able to get away and warn the others of where we are being held."

I heard some women murmur amongst themselves, unsure if they should trust what I wanted to do, when the woman who spoke to me before, raised her voice. She had long jet black hair completed with a fringe, and alluring hazelnut eyes.

"If.. There is a chance for some of us to go free. I will take it. Anything is better than being trapped here like rats, waiting for the next man to purchase us like livestock!" Eventually, the other women nodded in agreement. We huddled together as I informed them of my plan. If some of us could create a distraction or riot of some sort, hopefully we can create an escape for the other women.

At that moment, some men came in. There was the sound of a creaking door, and I had to squint because of the bright light. From where they stood, I could make out the silhouettes of two figures. One of the men, with a key dangling on his waist, was boasting about the 'fine catches' they had with the other one.

Then, one of the men stepped away, and got closer to inspect us. I could see his features more clearly. He was lean and slender in build, with golden hair, and striking red eyes. He was quite handsome, if not for the cold expression upon his face. Looked around and noticed that there were indeed only nine of us left. My eyes adjusted and I was able to see the features of the other man.

It was the merchant who I had traded my spider silk robes with. I glared. It explained how these kidnappers were aware of my gender.

He lazily gazed around, skimming over all the women before he set his eyes on Chizuru.

"Give me this one." He said icily.

Without a thought, I cried out.

"No! Leave her alone!"

The man's red eyes turned on me. I felt as though I were frozen on the spot. Gazing closer at his face, I tried to hide my sharp intake of breath.

This male… He was no _man_. He was clearly, a _demon. _He looked away from me, before his eyes landed on Chizuru one again.

She looked back at him, worry and slight fear in her eyes. I hurried to Chizuru's side, and shielded her from his line of sight with my body.

He glared at me.

"Move." He ordered.

I felt fear strike my heart, at his tone and at his gaze. I shakily held onto Chizuru and looked back defiantly. I was pretty sure he could see me shaking, so I probably didn't look very intimidating.

As our staring war continued, my arm was suddenly grabbed and my back was against the chest of the only other man in the room.

"Let go!" I struggled against his hold, but he only held me closer. I growled, frustrated.

"Heh, it looks like they caught you after all. Such a fine woman as yourself is worthy of me. Be grateful, you wrench." He murmured in my ear, and leaned down to caress my neck. The demon scrutinized me for a moment as he watched us. I turned to the side, and caught sight of the key attached to the merchant's waist. I sighed, as I realised I would not be able to take it without the demon noticing.

"I will deal with you later." He shoved me away, and I stumbled before falling. The other women grabbed hold of me to steady me. I thanked them with a smile.

I helplessly watched as Chizuru was dragged away, before another idea formed in my mind. Just as the merchant was about to close the door, I shrieked.

"Snake!"

I caught the eye of the black haired woman, and she seemed to understand. She played along with me, and started yelling in panic.

As realisation at what we were trying to do, dawned on the other women, they soon joined in with us.

Together we ran towards the door, while the merchant tried to calm down the situation. Several women grabbed the man, while I and a few others darted ahead.

Turning, I noticed we had been kept in a hut within the forest. The women grappled with the man until they managed to take the key. They roughly pushed him inside the hut and locked the door.

Immediately, the merchant starting banging and calling for aid. The women turned and grinned at me.

"It's not over yet."

Somehow, I was now in charge. I gave instructions to them and told them to search around the forest for a river, and if they found one, to follow it back to the village. The other women ran off into the forest. For a moment though, the black haired woman hesitated.

"What about you?" She asked.

"I need to go help the other girl." I replied.

"I see… Thank you... and… be careful."

I smiled back, as she too followed the other women.

Surveying my surroundings, I carefully wandered away from the hut, keeping close to shrubs and trees. Eventually, I reached a small clearing where I found the group of kidnappers.

In their midst, I saw the red eyed demon paying one of them some coins, before hauling off an unconscious Chizuru.

It was quite clever of the men to have a camp away from the hut. That way, if one was discovered, the other would still have to be tracked down.

I quietly followed the demon through the forest. It was strange. As a demon, I would have expected him to simply kill all the humans here to get to his goal. Maybe it was simply too troublesome to do. The sun was slowly starting to set, and it was getting dark.

"I know you are there."

I revealed myself. Chills, going up and down my spine.

"What business does a demon like you, have with Chizuru!?" I blurted out in fear. Oops... I covered my mouth.

The demon frowned.

"Did those dogs of Mibu tell you? Then, did they tell you that this girl is also a demon?"

Chizuru is? My eyes widened slightly. The demon smirked.

"I'm surprised though. Even though you know what I am, you, a _human_," he spat in disgust, "Is willing to come after her." Then he paused.

"Although, you seem _off_."

He came closer to me, and sniffed me. I stepped back in alarm.

"Not quite human… Perhaps… did you take that accursed water of life?" He sneered.

I gulped before answering, putting my shaking hands behind my back. "I don't know what you mean by the water of life, but please… Don't take Chizuru away from those people. They… they care for her."

"Care?! Humans took everything from us. They are destructive and spineless worms." He hissed in my face.

I understood how he felt. Humans had killed my family after all. As I recalled those events, my heart constricted in pain. Should I reveal to him that I knew how he felt? To save Chizuru? I started contemplating.

The Shinsengumi took me in, and gave me a place to stay. Even though I barely stayed with them for more than a day, the pain of losing my family was still slightly relieved. Coming to a decision, I steadied myself, before taking in a deep breath.

I slowly let my wings come into view.

* * *

**End. If there are any mistakes please do tell me.**


	6. Chapter Five

Reviews or criticism is helpful. Here's another chapter.

**NOTE: **The thing with my stories is that I make the story in my mind as I write, and the story just shapes itself... So... if things don't add up or make sense, please tell me~

Thank you.

Enjoy ~

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

BEFORE MY WINGS could completely come into view, I heard the rustle of the trees and brushes. Then, four figures burst into the clearing. I was just able to make out their faces, as my eyes slowly adjusted with the darkness.

Hijikata, Okita, Saito and Sanosuke.

They pointed their swords at the demon. I hastily prevented my wings from coming out, sighing in relief.

"Kazama." Hijikata stated coldly.

The others stared at him hard. Taking one last glance at me, Kazama placed Chizuru down with surprising gentleness as she began to stir. Then, with a warning that he will be back, Kazama was gone.

As I rushed forward to help Chizuru, the other men came closer. If these men so readily accept Chizuru, would they accept me as well?

They may accept me, but I was not ready to reveal what I was unless it was necessary.

Chizuru opened her eyes, body tense, and when her eyes landed on me, including our company, she relaxed. Hijikata turned to me, and I could see that he had a lot of questions for me.

"Shiro." He started "What business did these kidnappers have with you, that they had t…"

Hijikata was abruptly cut of when a man, clad in a black shinobi uniform complete with a flowing black scarf and forehead protector, came kneeling. Hijikata gave me a look that said my questions would be put aside for later. I let out the breath I was holding.

Saito, Sanosuke and Okita regarded me with suspicion in their eyes. My gut clenched in guilt.

"Yamazaki. Report."

"Yes. The kidnappers were gone when we found the clearing. It seems they were alerted with the threat of discovery, as soon as they realised the women had escaped." The ninja, Yamazaki replied.

Before anyone could say anything else, Yamazaki continued on.

"However, we have discovered that the kidnappers plan to hold a meeting tomorrow night Shimabara. All the kidnappers will be gathered then. It's the best time to strike."

I zoned out of the conversation, and raised my head to take in the sight of the moon. My thoughts drifted into times long past.

_Darting through the thick forest of trees, I ran as fast as I could. I was around eight years of age and I had finally escaped the cage that I was meant to call home. My legs ached, unused to running. My bare feet already had a few cuts and scrapes on it. My wings sometimes got caught in low branches or brushes. I ignored all of that though, because for the first time, I was free. I entered a small clearing and all that could be heard was my sharp intake of breath._

_The light of the moon shone down upon me. The stars, sparkling as though they were made of diamonds. I opened my wings and leaped. Feeling the rush of the air and, there was a moment of free falling just before I was flying._

_I laughed, a rush of pure happiness flowing through my body. The smell of the night, the sounds of life, and the taste of fresh cool air. It was all so new and foreign to me. _

_ "Mai! Oi Mai!" I scowled before turning around_ _as Yuki appeared behind me. "The guards are in an uproar! I have to take you back." _

_I knew that Yuki was right. Although, it felt so suffocating to be locked inside all the time. I know that they do it to keep me safe. Before surrendering to him, I took a final glance, full of longing, and gazed at the moon. This was my first time outside after all. My first time flying so high, and so freely. I closed my eyes, as Yuki came and embraced me in his arms. _

_"I know." He whispered. "I know that to you, it is a prison. Just wait, my sweet little Mai, but I will make this world a place where you can fly free. I promise." He held me tighter. Yuki had always had a distinct scent that could not be described. It was like the smell of winter, with a trace of cinnamon and vanilla. It was comforting, and to me it was the scent of home. I snuggled into his warmth as he took me back to my lonely cage. _

".. Shiro will do it then!"

"…Eh?"

I was pulled out of my thoughts and I saw Sanosuke grinning at me. I reached up to touch my cheek and felt something warm and slightly wet.

"Weren't you listening Shiro? We can't let Chizuru into Shimabara! She's a girl! We shouldn't put a girl in danger!" He cleared his throat.

"So.. You can go instead. You can easily pass off as a woman and you can sing and dance! If you look like this already, you sure will be a stunner as a girl! They'd want you to serve them."

Hijikata, Yamazaki, Okita, Saito and Sanosuke had their gazes all focused on me. Without asking if I agreed or not they all turned to leave the forest.

I stood there, alone for a while. Yuki can't keep his promise now. He's gone.

I steadied myself and eventually, followed the others.

* * *

Preparations were made for tonight. I was dressed up in an elegantly designed Kimono completed with an extravagant obi. The colour of the kimono was a light pink, while the obi was deep purple with a depiction of sakura leaves flying across the sash.

My hair was tied up and decorated with rich looking head pieces. However, when the person doing my hair was about to place in a comb, I stopped them and pulled out my own. Shiro's comb.

The makeup was done in a simple manner. Rather than using white powder, my eyes were accented, and a pink rather than a red gloss, was placed over my lips.

The person assisted me from the room, and led me out and displayed me to the Shinsengumi who would be on the mission tonight.

It was still rather warm, and the sun was only just beginning to set. I heard several sharp intakes of breath. Uncomfortable with the silence, I looked up and caught the eye of Heisuke. He blushed and seemed unable to speak full sentences. Sanosuke however appraised me before grinning.

"Ehhh. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were a real lady. I bet anyone would fall for you, hook line and sinker."

The rest agreed blushing and glancing away. Chizuru flashed me a timid smile.

"Y-you look very beautiful Shiro."

"Thank you." I bowed to all of them. "For tonight, I have decided to go by the name Mai."

Yamazaki nodded and approached me, holding out his arm. "Shall we get going?"

I wrapped my arm around his.

When we finally arrived in Shimabara, Yamazaki announced his presence to the lady of the house and introduced me. He created a story of how he had too many women to take care of and had to make a choice to release some. As he explained my talent for singing and dancing, the lady of the house simply nodded.

When Yamazaki left, after being paid a price for me, the lady turned to me.

"You will call me by Mother from now on. What is your name?"

"Yes Mother." I bowed deeply. "My name is Mai."

"… It suits you. Now, let me see your skills."

As I danced and sang, the mothers eyes lighted in delight, entranced with the sound of my voice. I was unsure of what songs they sang now, and had instead chosen to sing a song in the language of the angels. No one would recognise it after all.

"Ahh such talent. What language was that? Never mind, it is a blessing you came. There is a large number of guests tonight and I was rather short of staff. No matter, I'm sure the men will be pleased with just you."

As night fell, I prepared myself.

I could hear laughter from inside the room full of the kidnappers, as I stood just outside. I knew that members of the Shinsengumi would be around in the other rooms, but I still felt a little uneasy.

Taking a deep breath, I announced my arrival and slid open the door. All the talking stopped, as heads turned my way, and eyes widened.

I smiled. This was my element after all.

"My name is Mai, and I, Shall be your host for the night."

* * *

**End. If there are any mistakes please do tell me. Thank you to any reviewers~!**


	7. Chapter Six

Reviews or criticism is helpful. Here's another chapter.

**NOTE: **The thing with my stories is that I make the story in my mind as I write, and the story just shapes itself... So... if things don't add up or make sense, please tell me~

Thank you.

Enjoy ~

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

WHAT CONFIDENCE I had quickly evaporated as I scanned the room.

There were many grins gracing the faces of the men in the room. I counted 15 men in total. They sat in groups of four, taking up each side of the wall in the room. I recognized the merchant sitting on the left side of the room. He sat on the end of the row, next to a thin man with crooked teeth.

It was surprising. For a relatively small group, they were able to kidnap so many women, and cause much distress to the residents.

However, all that shall end tonight… If everything goes well that is.

I was ushered to pour drinks for a bald, intimidating looking man. He was well built, and on what skin I could see, he was covered in scars. I assumed he was the leader.

He leered at me as I picked up the sake bottle, and started to pour the first drink. I could feel the eyes of the other men roaming my body. I tried to supress my shudder. The men started to resume talking.

"Mai, you may call me Danzo."

I forced myself to smile at him as he started to engage in conversation with me. Soon, two other women joined me in the room, holding musical instruments. Some of the men's attention shifter to them.

Danzo mainly talked about himself but then, started to ask me questions.

"How old are you, Mai?"

"20" I lied

"Is that so? Why, I'm only a few years older! How fortunate as I've been looking for a companion…"

Somehow, I really doubted he was a few years older. He look like he could be my grandfather. I felt his hands crawl up my body, and I immediately jumped to my feet. Danzo glared at me, as the voices of the men withered away to more silence. They all looked at me again. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the merchant closely examining me. For a moment, I worried that I would be recognised. His face held no recognition, and I relaxed a bit.

I quickly spoke up.

"Allow me to perform for you tonight." I smoothly bowed.

Before anyone could say no, I briskly walked to the centre of the room and pulled out the fan hidden in the folds of the kimono.

I nodded to the other two girls, and they picked up their instruments before playing a sweet melody.

Slowly, my steps fell in time with the music. The men though, seemed restless. I noticed Danzo's hand twitching at his side, as though he wanted to hold up a hand to put a stop to the performance.

Not wanting to sit by his side again, I improvised and did the first thing that came to mind. I sang.

Not knowing the any songs by the humans, I sang in the language of the angels. A haunting yet beautiful sound. Those who heard the language of angels are easily enchanted.

I cringed at my mistake, and hoped that they would not recognize the language, nor question me about it afterwards.

The men watched and listened, enraptured as though they were under a spell. Even the two other girls had stopped playing their instruments, and it was only the sound of my voice that filled the room.

The last time I had sung and danced to this song was during a spring feast amongst my people.

_I could hear the other voices of the angels as they sung. I joined in and danced with them. However, as my voice joined with theirs, they stopped singing, until it was only my singing and dancing that filled the halls._

_Some whispers reached my ears_

_"That voice and her movement. It is as though **that woman **is still here"_

_"…Just like her…"_

_"Such grace, it captures you.."_

_"Indeed. Just like her true mother."_

_Not liking the attention, and realsing that it was only I who sung and danced, I raced out of the halls, only to bump into Yuki._

_"Ehh? In a hurry sister? Suitors chasing after you?" He smirked, but it son left his face when he saw my expression._

_"Oh Mai, what is it this time?" He panicked._

_"Did you anger the guards?"_

_"No yuki-"_

_"You got caught sneaking out?"_

_"Yuki I-"_

_"Perhaps, you were turning down Shiro for me instead?" He looked hopeful _

_"Yuki, Listen-"_

_"Or were you trying to elope with another male?"_

_"Hey, Yuki-"_

_"Oh lord, did you sleep with another male!?" Horror filled his face._

_"YUKI! Be quiet and let me talk!" I exclaimed. "No, No and No to the rest!"_

_He immediately sobered and glanced at me. "What else could it be?"_

_"Who is my true mother?"_

_Yuki paled at that and glanced down at me._

_"Who mentioned your mother to you?"_

_"I overheard..."_

_"Mai. Please, forget anything you heard and pretend-"_

_"Why?"_

_"Please Mai. Just trust me."_

_I bit my lip and nodded, and Yuki relaxed. He patted me head._

_"Come. Won't you dance with me tonight?" He asked holding out his hand._

As my dance came to an end, I hastily bowed again as the men applauded.

"Please excuse me for now. I must freshen up after that performance."

Exiting the room before anyone could question the song and dance, I made my way down the hall and out a door, to stand outside. Hopefully those women would be okay.

The plan was that I would go in, find out how many men there were, and try to lure some of them out for capture and questioning.

I had to report to Yamazaki about the number of men, and he would brief me on their next plan of action from there. Although, I could not see Yamazaki anywhere.

I waited a little longer, then suddenly, I felt myself being pulled back into the arms of some stranger.

Turned, I met the triumphant grin of the merchant.

I squirmed trying to pull out of his grip but he was too strong. I felt him drag me towards one of the empty rooms.

"Oi, you planning on sharing?"

I craned my neck to search for the new intruder, and saw the thin man with crooked teeth from before.

"Fine" The merchant grunted. "As long as it stops you from telling the others"

I squirmed harder, and was about to call for help, when a hand clamped down on my mouth.

Both men pulled me into the room, before shutting the door. It was dark inside, until some candles were lit.

The merchant was still holding onto me, and I stopped squirming, my mind rapidly coming up with different ideas on how to escape.

The merchant pulled out a dagger and held it up to my neck.

"Make a noise, or try to run, and you're dead. Understand?"

Something that Shiro had told me long ago flickered into my mind.

_"You may not be able to fight Mai. In fact, you're pretty useless at it." Shiro laughed and Yuki joined in. I glared at them, but Shiro was right. I was useless when it came to fighting._

_"But Mai, remember this. What you may lack in strength, you make up for in mind. You may be weak in body, but you are observant and you are cunning. Use it." Shiro's eyes gleamed, and he flashed me a knowing smile. _

_"Don't think I haven't realised how good you are at escaping your guards."_

I nodded. I'll play by their rules for now.

Slowly the merchant pulled back still holding the knife. The thin man approached me and I felt his fingers fumbling on my obi.

These men were both drunk and I could smell the alcohol on them. If I played along, perhaps, they will lower their guard. Hopefully, they won't be suspicious. Since they were drunk, maybe they would be focused on what they wanted right now. The thin man was still struggling with the obi, and the merchant was getting impatient.

"Let me help you undress myself." I said.

Both men looked at me in surprise and grinned, shooting each other a look.

"Of course. Go ahead." The thin man purred.

I tried not to wince at the tone of his voice, and proceeded to unwrap my obi, as slow as I could without making them any more impatient.

The merchant however, pulled his dagger up and slashed at my clothes several times.

"Problem solved. Though, I didn't expect you to cooperate. It's more fun when they struggle." He smirked.

What was left of the beautiful Kimono was hanging in tatters upon my body. The men advanced on me, and I could feel my heart beating fast. Before I could fully panic at my situation, I heard voices outside.

"…Ehh Shipachi?"

"… Sure heisuke…"

Shinpachi and Heisuke? They weren't meant to be here tonight but…

Feeling hopeful I cried out for help, pulling away, as the merchant slashed at me and I felt a sharp pain along my stomach.

The voices outside ceased, as the door to the room burst open and Heisuke and Shinpachi appeared, Katanas in hand.

I felt relieved, until I realised that the merchant and thin man had me cornered. The merchant reached out to me, as I struggled to hold on to what was left of the kimono, to hide my body. They were going to use me as a hostage.

As the man pulled me towards him, my hair came undone, and the comb in my hair fell out onto the floor.

Heisuke's eyes widened.

"WOAH? SHIRO!? When did you grow a pair of _those?"_ He pointed at my chest.

I blushed trying to hide my face. Although, I wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or from the pain on my stomach.

"Wait… OH MY GOD." Shinpachi squinted at me. "You aren't Shiro! YOU MUST BE HIS LOVER!"

Great. The only help I can get, and they both turn out to be drunk. They must have come here to drink as the other men were working. Currently unimpressed, I waited for them to continue. My arms, wrapped around my stomach wound.

That's why you have his comb! No wonder he was reluctant to be the bait tonight. His lover worked here after all! Wouldn't want her to think of him as any less manly… Not that he is manly anyway!"

Annoyed, I simply glared at Heisuke.

"Wow. It seems the pretty boys get all the best women!" Heisuke appraised me.

I Groaned. Why now? Couldn't they see the situation I was in? I was grateful that they were here, but … now was NOT the time to debate about my supposed 'lover'.

Shinpachi and Heisuke must have finally thought the same thing I did, as they both straightened and pointed their swords at the two men holding me hostage.

I felt the point of the merchant's dagger dig into my neck a little more. Something warm, and wet rolled down my neck, along with a small throb of pain.

"Any closer and she dies. Lower your weapons." The merchant sneered.

Heisuke and Shinpachi exchanged a glance, before lowering their weapons.

The merchant and thin man were both occupied on the two Shinsengumi, and I felt the pressure of the dagger ease a little. Using this opportunity, I went slack, and the merchant almost lost his grip on me as I let my legs give way. The point of the dagger, left a small scratch on my skin.

"… She fainted…" The thin man pointed out.

Using the opening I gave them, considering their drunken state, Heisuke and Shipachi both surged forward with surprising speed.

The merchant dropped me to the ground, and tried to push myself up, gritting my teeth as I pushed my body out of the way of the fight. I grit my teeth, and held onto my stomach wound. By tomorrow it would just be a small pink scar, but just because I healed fast, didn't mean it would hurt any less. I faintly thought about how I would explain to them about my female state, and why my wounds healed rather fast. I dismissed it. Whatever happens, will happen. I'll think about it when it comes.

The fight was soon over with Heisuke and Shinpachi coming out on top. Heisuke came over to me to check up on me, whilst Shinpachi was using the shreds of my clothes to tie up the men. Pretty creative. I'd give him that.

Heisuke knelt down, in front of me and lifted my chin so I was staring at him.

"Let me see that." He murmured gently, a blush on his face.

Slowly, I moved my hands away, and he quickly ripped a strip of cloth, and tied it around my torso, completely covering the wound.

"Sooo… Shiro… You know him?"

I stared blankly. He doesn't seemed to have realised… I just nodded.

"That will have to do for now." He said, meeting my gaze again.

"Hmm? Looks like there's a change in plans."

All three of us turned our heads at the new voice, only to see Yamazaki in his ninja outfit standing at the door. He sauntered inside.

"You two aren't meant to be here." He glared, as Heisuke and Shinpachi sheepishly scratched their heads.

"Although, it's a good thing you were."

Striding towards me Yamazaki knelt down before me, while ordering Heisuke and Shipachi to take the men that they caught to the others.

"Shiro are you alright? I'm sorry that I was late. There was a dela-"

He cut of midsentence, and just stared. I wasn't sure what he was staring at, until I realised he was looking at my chest. Clearing his throat he said,

"I believe you, have some explaining to do." Looking amused he added, "Although, this also explains a lot of things already…"

I grimaced, just as he placed an arm behind my back, and beneath my knees, carefully lifting me up. Shinpachi and Heisuke had already cleared the room, taking the caught kidnappers with them.

I felt that this was going to be a long night.

* * *

**End. If there are any mistakes please do tell me. Thank you to any reviewers~!**

**Next Chapter, Mai may have to reveal some truths to the others.**


	8. Chapter Seven

Reviews or criticism is helpful. Here's another chapter.

**NOTE: **The thing with my stories is that I make the story in my mind as I write, and the story just shapes itself... So... if things don't add up or make sense, please tell me~

Thank you.

Enjoy ~

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

**Just so you guys aren't confused, this chapter opens up in someone else's perspective, then switches back to Mai's perspective.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

THE COOL BREEZE of summer brushed my face, and I took in the scents that came with it, breathing deeply. However, the scent was ruined as I caught the unmistakable salty trace of blood mixed in with the smell of wood shavings and smoke.

Eyes glowing, I scanned the clearing below the balcony that I sat upon. This scent was unmistakable. It was something that I had not scented for in so long. Though I could tell what it was, it was familiar. Familiar in the way that I had tasted this blood before… It couldn't possibly be _her_.

Standing up, I leaped down from my balcony, and followed this distinct scent.

_It couldn't be possible. _I thought to myself. Setting a brisk pace, I navigated myself through the maze like building, the scent getting stronger. I was close.

Turning the last corner, from the dark shadows that hid my presence I saw a dark figure leaping onto the roof across from where I stood. I wasn't interested in the ninja, though I was interested on what he had with him. In his arms, he held an injured woman. She was covered in blood, and her clothes were in tatters. I briefly heard snatches of conversation and she was complaining about returning to get her comb. The man who held her though said something about hurrying to tell the others, before their targets realised two of their men were missing. She was squirming around in his arms and franticly looking back into the compound, desperation and grief, gracing her features.

Her calm, blue eyes met mine, and I saw her shiver.

_No. _This wasn't the same woman. Upon closer inspection, her eyes were softer and was an azure blue colour. The woman I knew had ice blue eyes that were sharp and seemed to pierce into your very soul. The scent of this blood, belonged to an angel, and yet the familiar taste it left behind in my mouth was not the taste of _her_ blood. It was similar, but it was not the same. This was someone different.

She did look familiar though. Thinking back, I briefly remembered her as the woman that had tried to help Chizuru. This woman, did have the scent of angel blood. It was impossible, yet she held the same graceful features of the angels. She was quite small in build, though still possessed an hourglass figure. Her pure white hair streamed behind her and her skin was smooth and milky.

Most likely, she was a half blood, unaware of what she carried in her. Her heritage muddied with human blood. Angels were extinct after all, so this woman couldn't be an angel. Her blood told me differently though. It was so strong, and my instincts told me she was a pure blooded angel.

My mind however told me that her blood was dirtied with human blood and I ignored my instincts going with what I knew.

Disappointed, I left.

The gaze of those tender azure eyes however, stayed with me.

I did not know what compelled me to head to the room that smelled of blood. As I stepped inside, I saw something shimmer, and I went to pick it up.

It was a small comb, of fine craftsmanship. Only an angel would be able to make something this exquisite.

This comb suited her. The colour of it matched her eyes.

* * *

As Yamazaki went back into the building and to the second floor in order to reach the roof, I was feeling cold and weak from the loss of blood. He easily leaped onto the rooftop, with me still held in his arms. I gave up struggling, distressed at the loss of my comb, but for some reason, no tears fell.

I looked back in the clearing we had just left, when from the dark shadows, I caught two red orbs staring back at me. I shivered, unsure if it was due to the red eyes, or the cold that came with the blood loss. I told myself it was the latter.

As we left the clearing, those intense red orbs seemed to stay with me.

The sharp pain on my stomach was now a dull throb, and Yamazaki told me he would help with the injury on my neck when we returned to headquarters.

We entered another room in the complex. As the door was slid open, I saw Sanosuke, Hijikata, Kondou, and Saito along with very few other men which I assumed were other Shinsengumi members.

"Yamazaki, Shiro. What happened?" Hijikata called as Yamazaki set me down with the others eyeing the back of Yamazaki's head.

"Heisuke and Shinpachi are here tonight." He mused, and before Hijikata could make any angry remarks, he continued "They managed to capture two of the kidnappers, and are on the way back to headquarters. It seemed they followed Shiro out of the room and attacked him. You should ask … Shiro… for the rest." He gestured to me.

Heat rushed to my face all eyes went to me, and there was a stunned silence. I pulled up my knees, attempting to hide as much as I could. Sanosuke's jaw had dropped, while Saito was his stoic self except his eyes were closed as if in concentration. Kondou looked as stunned as Sanosuke whilst the other men were trying to look anywhere but me.

Several throats were cleared, and Hijikata was rubbing his temples as though he had a headache.

"Explain." He sighed… Or growled.

I wasn't sure which because I was currently mortified with my current state of dress, in a room full of men.

"Oi! Hijikata that's no way to treat a lady!" Kondou remarked and looked at me apologetically.

Sanosuke came to me and awkwardly draped a piece of cloth around my shoulders, covering my body from view. I gratefully thanked him.

"Heh, it seems the too good to be true pretty boy, is actually an Ojou-san." He winked at me. "Won't the ladies be upset?"

Hijikata glared at Sanosuke, unamused with his antics. Kondou was about to speak but instead, I spoke up.

"Well, there are 15 men in total… since we caught two that makes 13. The leader is at the back of the room, sitting between two men. He has many scars and has a bulky build. He will be easy to recognize, and goes by the name Danzo."

I paused and tried to think of anything else that would be important.

"There are currently two other women in the room. Also, of the two men we caught, one of them poses as a merchant. I think that's how they are able to acquire information and kidnap women. They integrate themselves into the community, and people overlook them."

I finished my summary, but the men all continued to stare as if there was more information. Unsure as to what else they needed to know, I uncomfortably shifted my position. I stared intently at one of the candles that lit the room. The flame moving as if it was dancing, and the red wax pooling over the sides like fresh blood.

There was a sigh before "You may explain … your state another time." Hijikata glared at me.

_Ohhh of course. _I wasn't sure how much I should tell them. How do I explain to them that I wasn't from around here? They already knew that but… As in… From this time period here?

As Hijikata ordered the men on their next course of action, Yamazaki picked me up again.

"I'll be taking you back to headquarters now. The others said it's unsafe to keep a lady here. Especially with the fight. This place will be in a bit state of chaos soon."

"It's okay Yamazaki, I can walk." I told him but he gave me a quick glance.

"It's faster if I take you." My protests were dismissed and fell on deaf ears.

With that, he left the room with me. We reached the street filled with many men with women, dressed up in elaborate clothes, upon their arms. The whole street was glowing in a bright, red light and laughter was heard from many buildings we passed. Eventually, we reached the gates, where many people were flowing in and out of Shimabara.

"Hmmm…" Yamazaki was examining my face, his brow was arched down in a frown.

"I think we should take the rooftops. I doubt the guards will let us pass with you in this state."

He turned to go towards one of the buildings takin a few steps. Though, as if on cue, someone called out to us.

"Oi! What are you doing with that Geisha?"

We both looked up to see a guard approaching us.

Sighing, Yamazaki braced himself for the interrogation.

"Ehhh? Why isn't she wearing anything? Ravaged her real well didn't you?" He leered.

"Anyway, you can't take the Geisha out. They aren't allowed, and besides, she's a piece of property here."

"We were just going into that building over there." Yamazaki gestured, "Some … Unfinished business to take care of."

"Ahh. Right."

With that the guard left, and Yamazaki continued on his way. I peered over his shoulder and watched as the guard went back to the gate. However some movement on the other side of the street caught my eye, and I saw a girl dashing around the crowd, trying her best to not draw attention. She had her hair in a ponytail, and I saw a short sword strapped to her side.

As I tried to make out her features, Yamazaki had already entered the building and I missed my chance. Her silhouette looked familiar to me.

On the way back to headquarters, no one on the streets noticed our presence. Moving stealthily, Yamazaki continued on until we finally got back to the main compound.

As we entered, Yamazaki left me sitting outside one of the rooms as he went to get his medical supplies.

As I sat there beneath the moonlight, I silently gazed into the garden in front of me.

There was a small fish pond, and I could see flickers of gold and orange swimming beneath the surface of the water.

I carefully hoisted myself up and walked over, kneeling by the side of the pool. It was a tranquil scene on what will be a chaotic night.

I heard footsteps and looked up to see Heisuke approaching me.

"Shiro!" He ran over but then slowed down. "Wait, you're Shiro's girl! Hahaha did that lover boy send you here to keep you safe?"

Chuckling, he sat himself down beside me. Amused I didn't bother to correct him that I was Shiro, and besides, I'd rather explain it once.

Surprisingly, he didn't question me and we both sat in a comfortable silence. We occasionally exchanged jokes or remarks. After a while Yamazaki came back and brought me to a room so I could clothe myself, and so he could dress my wounds.

Just as I was finishing on putting on the clothes, there was a commotion outside of my room. I stepped out to see Okita, Shinpachi, Heisuke and Yamzaki.

"After I helped you with the prisoners, I went out to find Chizuru but she was missing." Okita stated, his gaze was hard, and annoyed.

As they continued their conversation, I had a moment of shock and realisation as I remembered.

That girl who I thought was familiar. With that hairstyle and short sword… Chizuru had gone off the Shimabara.

"Chizuru…" I whispered, and the others stopped to listen to me. "She's at Shimabara! Yamazaki, I saw her near the gates when we were leaving."

Okita cursed, "Damnit that girl… Doesn't she know how dangerous it is? I told her I'd kill her if she caused any trouble." He said while he quickly headed to the compounds gates. The others joined him, seeming to forget that I was there. They were all worried for Chizuru.

Shinapchi however paused briefly before turning to me, "Hey, Shiro… errr, it's no place for a woman so you should stay here alright?"

With that, he followed the others and I watched as they disappeared from my sight.

Chizuru was already at the gates when we had left. That would mean, the distance it would take for them to reach her, it may be too late. The fight would already be taking place. I paced, deep in my thoughts. For them to rush to her like that, they truly cared for her so much. If they were to lose her again…

No, she would be fine, the other members were there. Though I did not know how well they could use their blades I witnessed Saito's skill, and trusted that the rest were just as experience.

However, Chizuru's appearance there would be a surprise for them, and if they had to protect her from the conflict, then what if they lost another member of the Shinsengumi? Of this… Family?

The Shinsengumi, were like a family and to lose a member, that would be cruel and painful. Though, loss happened all the time.

Frustrated, I stopped pacing, calculating what the outcome could be. I gazed over at the Koi fish in the pond, their vibrant scales filling my vision with shimmers of gold and red…

Red… Those red orbs…I gasped.

They would be too busy with the fight, and that man, with red orbs… He was there at Shimabara… If he was so focused on taking Chizuru then… This was the perfect opportunity for him, especially now with Chizuru there.

With my mind made up, I relaxed my body and closed my eyes, letting instinct take over. My wings silently unfurled and I stretched them out. They lightly glowed behind me, before their light fading.

I took flight, the darkness of the night concealing my presence, and the light of the moon guiding my way.

* * *

**End. If there are any mistakes please do tell me. Thank you to any reviewers~!**

**Next Chapter, Mai may have to reveal some truths to the others.**


	9. Chapter Eight

Reviews or criticism is helpful. Here's another chapter.

**NOTE: **The thing with my stories is that I make the story in my mind as I write, and the story just shapes itself... So... if things don't add up or make sense, please tell me~

Thank you.

Enjoy ~

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.J

**I'm sorry if this chapter seems a little weak... Especially the reactions... though given the situation, they cant pause and react for very long... But you'll see what happens soon...**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

THE DULL PAIN on my stomach started to intensely throb, and I winced at the pain.

I was already near Shimabara, having passed the others a while back on my way here. They should arrive in a while.

I heard a commotion, and as quickly and silently as I could, without drawing attention to myself, I flew over to the noise, keeping to the shadows.

Below me there was a mess of bodies and shouting. The clang of steel on steel, and the scent of blood and sweat. I scanned the crowd and I was able to make out some of the Shinsengumi members.

Saito and Sanosuke were fighting a small group while ordering their men to try and subdue the kidnappers when an opportunity arises. Sanosuke, I noticed didn't use a Katana like the others, but a spear. It was a popular weapon of choice amongst the hunting party of angels. From what I could see he was quite skilled at using it.

Meanwhile, Kondou and another few members were fighting another group, while Hjikata was facing off with the leader and 2 of his members. Some of the men from the group of kidnappers still seemed to be a little drunk.

Chizuru was nowhere to be found.

As I was about to search for her, I suddenly spotted her as she dashed out from the building joining the fight in the square compound.

She rushed towards Hijikata, and I could see the scowl on his face as soon as he saw her.

She was intercepted before being able to reach Hijikata, as Danzo moved and grabbed her, pulling her back to his chest, sword at her throat.

"Move, and she dies." He said loudly, so all the Shinsengumi members could hear. Danzo's men also paused, turning towards their leader.

They paused, glancing in his direction, before slowly lowering their weapons. Slowly, Danzo backed off, still holding Chizuru.

"If you follow us," he gestured to himself and the two men flanking his side "I will kill her… If I as so much as feel as though you're tailing me… she's gone."

"D… Don't worry about me, I'll be fi-" Chizuru's protest was cut off, as the blade holding her hostage drew some blood.

"The rest of you, take care of them. Ichi, Shiki, with me." Danzo said before turning and fleeing the battlefield, dragging Chizuru along with them.

If I stayed and assisted the Shinsengumi, then we had a better chance of getting Chizuru… Although I did not doubt his word that he would harm her.

As long as he didn't feel like he was being tailed, he would keep Chizuru alive. He could use her after all, then when he was finished, he could sell her.

Feeling that the Shinsengumi would be better off without my useless interference, and deciding that I had a better chance of rescuing Chizuru alone, I left to follow her.

I silently glided through the shadows, careful to not let my wings catch and shimmer off any light. Danzo had thrown Chizuru to the man he had called Shiki while the other, was in possession of her short sword.

"Sir, why don't we just kill this kid? She's slowing us down."

"No. She might come in handy later, if any more people come after us."

Quickly formulating my own plan, I knew I had to try and split them up. I could not fight, and only a fool, with no combat skills would jump headlong into this.

I sped up, hoping to make a distraction up ahead in the direction they were running in. The streets were all empty at this time, save for the occasional sightings of wildlife. I soon realised that the buildings here were also all abandoned and all. I kept that in mind, since if I got Chizuru, it would be an ideal place to hide in until help arrived.

I mentally made a map in my own mind. The alleyways and side paths would mean that I would have a few minutes to consult the person who held Chizuru before the others arrived.

When I was a considerable distance away, I landed on the ground, folding in my wings and then, I made as much noise as I could. Stirring up the sand on the ground, and rattling the bags and cans of litter that stood against the walls.

I continued this for a while, waiting until the humans could hear it. With my acute senses, better than a humans, but not quite on par with a demon, I heard them pause. Of course, all angels differed, so some had superior senses compared to others. Mine were average.

I listened in to their conversation. They had decided to split up, just to be safe. Danzo was once again in possession of Chizuru, and he was going to keep going ahead, while the others would flank in from the sides. Ignoring the rest of their conversation, I made a few more plans.

Although I knew the risks, I still decided that I would take my chances with this. Besides, who would believe this man, and what he had seen tonight? It could be blamed on the alcohol… Hopefully…

I unfolded my wings flying to the shadows once again and waited.

Moments later, Danzo came in, holding a struggling Chizuru. He tightened his grip on her and hissed a warning, sword held threateningly. She stilled. Just a few more steps…

"Must have been a street cat or something." Danzo muttered. He visibly relaxed and carefully put his sword back in the sheath. Hi grip on Chizuru had considerably loosened, and she used that moment to run.

No!

Danzo immediately slashed at her back, and she screamed in agony. The wound, deep. Before she could fall, he grabbed her again.

"Foolish woman." He hissed.

It had to be now.

I gathered up my nerves, and before I could start second guessing or doubting what I was about to do, I flew down deciding to tackle him from above. I used the momentum in my flight to fuel the strength in my attack. I knew it was cowardly to attack from behind but, it was just as cowardly to use a hostage, and to sacrifice your comrades to escape. Besides, I needed every advantage I could get.

I would try my best to not hurt Chizuru while taking down Danzo.

I got closer, and at the last moment Danzo spun, his eyes widening at what he was seeing.

I held back my amusement. A white haired creature with massive glowing wings, charging towards you, was not something that you could see every day.

Feeling the rough impact, jarring the bones in my body, Danzo fell backwards, his grip on Chizuru loosened completely, and the girl took that opportunity to push herself away. She sat on the ground, palms holding up some of her weight. The wound on her neck was already healed. If not for the dried blood, it was as though it was never there at all. My stomach wound still ached, and was just agitated further with my latest stunt.

Immediately, I leaped backwards, out of Danzo's reach. Since he was well built, I doubted my tackle had much impact on him compared to the impact it had inflicted on me.

Turning to Chizuru, I urgently spoke, "Chizuru hurry, we don't have long. Follow m-" I cut of my last word, when I saw the look of awe on her face. Her doe-like brown eyes were wide open, making them look enormous, and her mouth was slightly ajar.

"Chizuru! Now!"

She didn't seem to hear me, but instead she whispered, "Shiro…What are you? Also… You're… Not a man…"

She winced a little, and moved her arm around to her back.

"I'll explain later! Please!" I took a few steps forward, when I saw a shadow rising up. Her eyes got impossibly wider.

I spun, just as I saw a flash of steel, and felt the blade of a sword cut through my chest just missing my heart and instead, pierced my lung.

I hissed in pain, and coughed up blood.

"Chizuru… Run…" I weakly gasped out to her.

"But…"

"NOW!" I yelled "Hide… in the buildings."

Chizuru didn't move.

I turned my head slightly, until I saw the reason why.

Shiki and Ichi were blocking the path behind us their eyes wide at what they were seeing. We were surrounded.

It seemed, they didn't take the side paths but had instead followed behind their leader, knowing that splitting up was dangerous. Clever. I had underestimated them. A terrible mistake that may just be my last.

"What… do we have here…" Danzo twisted the blade further, and I grunted in pain, not wanting to cry out. I breathed heavily, each breath painful and creating a wheezing sound.

"It seems… the stories are true… You creatures really do exist…" He pulled out his sword and I fell to the ground, my wings barely able to support me. I was in too much pain.

I grit my teeth, and remained silent. He didn't seemed all that surprised about what I am.

I stared up at Danzo, my expression one of defiance. He stared back, looking intrigued more than anything.

"You… will fetch a high price…"

Suddenly, he raised the sword, and slashed down. Cutting at the clothes I wore.

"Or perhaps… I'll keep you for a while…" I felt his eyes on me, greedily taking in the sight of my body.

Still, I remained silent. It was taking a lot of effort for me to breathe, let alone talk.

"What shall we do with the other girl?" One of the men called.

"… Kill her… After you have your fun with her I suppose… This one is far more valuable. Not now though. We need to get away first."

"But… that one won't survive her wound… I don't think she will anyway."

"If the stories are true… and… If she is anything like the others I have seen. Then they can heal quite well." Danzo stated.

Others… There… were still more? Did I know them? How are they still alive? I felt a surge of hope from within. Perhaps… Shiro… Yuki… Even young Natsu.

Another voice joined the conversation snapping me out of my thoughts.

"While it was quite amusing to watch these developments, it looks like I should interfere."

The newcomer stepped into the moonlight, golden hair making him stand out here.

"Kazama…" Chizuru glared at the man, eyes hard.

"I followed the scent of female oni blood… although…" His eyes landed on me, with approval, "I've found something much more interesting… a prize indeed. It would be a shame to let her get taken."

Raising his sword, and with a speed with which my eyes could barely follow, he had already cut down Shiki and Ichi, only leaving Danzo alive.

"Now…" He pointed his blade towards the other man. "What were you saying about the others?"

His eyes went wide with fear.

"I… I don't know… Anything…" His voice shook

"Oh?" Kazama cocked his head to the side. "In that case you are of no use to me." He replied, preparing to strike.

No! He had to know something.

"S..Stop!" I managed to cry out

"Wait stop, please! Ther-"

The rest of his protests weren't heard, as Kazama sliced his neck, killing him in one blow. My cries, ignored.

"W-why… he could have known… something." I managed to painfully say.

Kazama glanced at me. He wasn't even covered in that much blood, despite the fact that he had just killed three men.

Then again, I had seen many deaths, done by the hands of humans. The sight of death was nothing new.

Kazama glared down at me.

"He did not hesitate to kill you. Had you not turned, that blade would have killed you." He said back, eyes hard. His voice did not hold any emotion. He was just… stating fact. Then, his eyes moved to settle upon Chizuru's prone form.

"No, don't take Chizuru. Please… Let her go…" I tried to position myself in front of her, but didn't get very far.

Chizuru however, scrambled towards one of the men, picking up her short sword. She took out the blade and held it out towards Kazama.

"I'm not going." She declared.

Kazama just gave her one more look.

"While I don't understand why you stick to these humans, I no longer care." He looked back at me, and stared back.

"Though, perhaps now is not the time… Besides… to kidnap a woman while she is heavily injured…" He trailed off and disappeared back into the shadows.

I relaxed, before struggling to me feet. The wound was slightly better and I could at least move. Thanking my fast healing, I was about to tell Chizuru that we should head back to the others, but she looked stunned. She still held out her sword, pointed in my direction.

"He… Gave up?" She didn't seem convinced. As though this was a trap.

"It's fine. I think he's truly gone… for now. Chizuru, we need to go ba-"

The girl fainted. No doubt from the wound and the shock of being kidnapped, again.

I wasn't able to reach her in time to catch her, my wounds slowing me down. She hit the ground, her head roughly striking the dirt and gravel. I prayed that she had no head injuries when she woke up.

I picked up the short sword and made my way towards her when I heard several footsteps heading this way.

Moments later, some Shinsengumi members arrived. From this group, I could see Okita, Hijikata and Saito.

They all looked astonished. Saito's face held surprise for once, whilst Okita's face held interest. Hijikata though, glared at me eyes hard.

"I…" I started before I realised what they were seeing.

Some strange winged creature holding a sword drenched in blood, with three men dead at her feet. Chizuru, passed out and badly injured.

I heard the sound of swords being unsheathed, and they pointed their blades at me. I don't think they will listen, or believe what I tell them.

They did not know me that well after all, and I had lied to them about myself this whole time. Knowing I was female was one thing… to find out I was a completely different species was another.

"Take …it… back to headquarters." Hijikata ordered, and they started towards me.

I closed my eyes. I should have realised this.

Humans fear what they can't understand… and what they fear… they will seek it out and destroy it before it can become a threat to them.

Not knowing what else to do and ignoring the pain in my chest and stomach, I opened my wings, then fled into the night.

The last thing I heard was an angry shout

"Find her! Hunt her down."

* * *

When I had followed the scent of Chizuru's blood, I did not expect to see that woman again. She was a pure blooded angel.

When I saw that, I felt as though my heart had stopped beating. Her wings were spread open and the look of determination on her face to save another… She was magnificent.

For a female, she was brave, intelligent and selfless. She had been worried that I would take Chizuru despite her own injuries.

To hear there were more angels was a surprise… although that man could have been deceived. There were those who faked after all. With that angel, the promise from all those years ago could be fulfilled. Even if it was another angel altogether… Chizuru is no longer important to me.

I was going to take that angel with me, though I could sense the Shinsengumi approaching, and it would have been annoying to deal with them. Besides, the angel was injured anyway and I did not have the necessary items to aid her.

However, I will come back for her, and she shall be mine.

* * *

**End. If there are any mistakes please do tell me. Thank you to any reviewers~!**

**SNEAK PEAK SPECIAL:**

For next chapter:

\- Mai will be hunted

\- Will Chizuru wake up in time to clear the misunderstanding? Or will it be too late?

\- Mai will also be using her powers to heal a certain someone of his disease... Though he won't find out till later ehehehe

Well, Look forward to next chapter! Till then ~ Bye ^_^/


	10. Chapter Nine

Reviews or criticism is helpful. Here's another chapter.

**NOTE: **The thing with my stories is that I make the story in my mind as I write, and the story just shapes itself... So... if things don't add up or make sense, please tell me~

Thank you.

Enjoy ~

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

**I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you~!**

**I don't tend to write more than i have to... so sometimes things may seem rushed haha.**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

A COUPLE OF days passed, and I hid myself within the forest.

During these days in hiding, I had made myself a small hideout, close to the place I used to call home. It was a small, well hidden cave.

My wounds had completely healed, despite the few nights of pain I had, after crash landing somewhere in the forest. However, I was still too weak to fly, and any attempt to do so could heavily strain my wings and back. Unused to walking, I made slow progress travelling within the forest.

Angels could survive much longer without food or drink unlike humans. Our natural diet was of fruits and nuts, although we did eat meat on extremely rare occasions. We only hunted animals for their furs to keep ourselves warm in the winter months, or as materials for our crafts. Normally, we buried their carcasses afterwards for their bodies and spirits to return to the earth.

I was currently searching around the forest for more supplies, the only sound was of a crashing waterfall nearby. Then, I heard some shouts, disturbing the peaceful drones of the forest. I looked up from my spot on the forest floor, only to see a bunch of men in light blue haoris.

Shinsengumi.

I dropped everything I held and started to run, as the men began to give chase themselves.

Knowing the layout of the forest better than they did, I managed to lose them eventually after finding a safe spot in some shrubs to hide myself.

I heard their loud footsteps stomp past my hiding place and I held my breath, hoping they wouldn't look here.

My pleas weren't heard, as the last man at the back of the line paused in his pursuit. He surveyed the area and took some light, sure footed steps in my direction.

I slid down further, but it was too late. I was spotted, and I heard the sound of steel as he unsheathed his sword.

I cried out in panic, and leaped up, feeling a slight sting along my back. Taking a daring look behind me and my gaze met with steady eyes, similar to the colour of a deep night sky without stars.

Saito.

The tip of his blade was covered with some of my blood, and it dripped onto the ground.

He started to run after me, calling out to his men to follow him.

I was unused to walking… Running? My legs were unsteady and awkward, every movement made me feel as though I was pulling massive lead weights.

Every step I took on my wobbly legs, was three, maybe even four steps for them.

They would catch up with me soon… Unless I did something clever first.

* * *

**At Shinsengumi headquarters.**

Hijikata sat in his room, filling out the paperwork concerning the kidnapping ring, when he was disturbed with a knock.

"Come in."

The door slid open and a man, who was part of Saito's division came in. He bowed.

"Sir, we have located the winged creature, and are currently hunting her down. Dead or Alive… as you ordered."

"I see… Th-"

He was interrupted by some excited shouts.

"Chizuru!"

"She's okay!"

"Welcome back, Ojou chan."

"Oh, about time you woke up. I was worried I'd have to kill you to put you out of your misery."

Immediately, Hijikata got up and quickly joined the others who had gathered inside and around Chizuru's room, the man following him.

Everyone was talking, but the Hijikata called for silence. He immediately cut to the chase.

"Chizuru, glad to see you're okay, and to have you back. Do you remember what happened that night."

Chizuru however, did not answer and instead looked around frantically.

"Where is... Shiro?! Is he… She okay!?"

Hijikata frowned at this. Chizuru was too kind to worry about someone who had hurt her.

"We had found her at the site, with those three men dead, and you passed out. She was covered in blood, her clothes in tatters and was holding your blade."

"Well, do not worry Ojou chan, we're hunting down this creature so no one else will get hurt. Dead or alive, we shall catch it." Sanosuke continued for Hijikata.

"Creature!? What do you mean? Shiro protected me!" Chizuru cried out.

"Ehh? You're confused Chizuru, she must have hit you on the head real bad…" Heisuke chimed in.

"No! She protected me!"

Chizuru quickly searched her mind for ore evidence of this… Angel's innocence besides her word.

"The sword." Chizuru blurted out "Was it covered in blood? Did you check?"

Her questions were met with silence.

"She saved me from those men, then… Kazama came in and killed those men. Shiro… protected me from Kazama as well, in case he tried to take me.. But then he left suddenly, and… I passed out…That's all I remember."

There was a pause, and everyone held sombre, guilty looks on their faces. Hijikata took action.

"You," He indicated to the man from Saito's division who had delivered the previous message.

"Make haste… the creatu-… No, Shiro. She is innocent. Let her come back."

The man nodded in affirmation and took off.

* * *

The only plan I can think of is to fake my death.

By doing that they would stop the hunts… but.. how?

I couldn't just let them stab me and play dead. I needed a way for my body to disappear in such a way that I may as well be dead.

The waterfall.

There was enough foam so they can't see the bottom. I could fall, and just when I went out of sight, I can let my wings out and glide the rest of the way down. It would strain me but it wasn't as bad as flying…

Hopefully my plan would work.

I managed to keep far ahead of them and reached the edge of the cliff, right next to the river, flowing down the side creating the waterfall.

I turned around and saw Saito, sword held out.

I was not sure if he would listen to any words, and I did not want to test my luck. There was some more shouts, and more men emerged. One man in particular though shoued at Saito to stop his onslaught… How strange. They ll seemed intent to see me gone.

"Sir, please stop! Hijikata made an order th-"

I did not listen to the rest, and instead took advantage of the distraction. Closing my eyes, I let myself fall backwards.

I heard more shouts, but could not make them out.

"She… sav… Chizu... Inno…"

The waterfall drowned the rest out and as I made it out of sight, I let my wings come out, hoping for the best.

* * *

The seasons went by, each fading and preparing for the next season. Summer came to a finish, the lush green turning into bold shades of brown gold and red. The vibrant coloured leaves filled the air until finally settling onto the ground. When winter came, those warm colours turned cold, and snow blanketed the ground, covering the presence of the golden autumn shades. The trees were stripped of their leaves, and they stood cold, bare and alone. Like me.

But spring will come again, and the emptiness would soon be filled. Just like the seasons that came and went, life moved on. I had also faded into nothing more but a distant memory for those who believed me dead.

Though, stories and legends were quickly made anew.

Anyone who was injured or sick, regardless of age, gender, background or intent, I healed. Taking their injuries, and their illnesses as my own until it finally healed. These stories had started to circulate about those who weren't in the best health. They would enter the forest and come back out healthy, and full of life. More people came, and I healed them. Those who healed should not discriminate and so, I healed those who needed it.

Each time I used my powers, I learnt more about it. The limits, the extents that I could push myself and what I could heal. At first, I found that it took a lot of energy from me trying to heal major wounds or serious illnesses. However, I could easily heal that now though it still effected my body with much intensity.

I harvested what fruits and berries I could find in the forest, and had also made my own light robe of spider silk, including a few spares.

On the last few days of winter, my food stock was running low, and I decided to go search for fruits that persevered through the frozen winter months.

The frozen river that I had first awoken up from within, was starting to thaw and the snow covered ground was turning into sleet.

I took a drink when I suddenly heard some distressed cries. Searching for the source of the sound, I came across some two young children.

A young girl, with short black hair, and bangs that went down to her eyebrows was shouting at a boy, who had daringly climbed a large tree and didn't seem as though he could get down.

"Wait! I'll get help!" The girl shouted up while the boy told her to hurry. She turned around only to run into me.

"Oomph…. Oh! Miss will you please help us?" She blushed up at me.

I simply smiled at her, and walked to the base of the tree. Deftly and swiftly, I scaled the tree until I reached the boy. I faintly recalled the last time I had climbed a tree. It was when I was following Yuki and Shiro on their hunt, with Yuki taking down a rabbit.

When I climbed down again, with the boy safely in my arms, I escorted the children to the outskirts of the forest, so they could go back to the city.

I let go of their hands and they rushed away to some temple shrine. A man was sitting on the steps, though I could not quite see his face from the distance, and I moved a little closer.

"Okita!" The children cried out excitedly.

The man smiled at them, teasing them. He carried the girl in one arm, and held onto the hand of the boy.

"Your parents were worried you know." He chastised. "What were you doing?"

"He wanted to climb a tree," The girl accursedly pointed a finger at said boy, "And he got stuck, but then, a really beautiful lady who was must have been a wood fairy came to help him!"

"Ehh? What did she look like?"

"Her hair was as white as snow, and her eyes was almost like the colour of the sky but not quite!" The boy chirped

Okita simply 'hmmed' and looked speculative as he led the children away.

"Oh, the lady didn't follow us out of the forest… She was right there…We didn't get to thank her…"

Okita paused before placing the girl down.

"How about you go home and I will try to find the pretty lady and tell her thank you for you?" He asked, as the children happily agreed and hurried off.

Okita stood there for a moment though, before he suddenly burst into a fit of coughs. He covered his mouth with his hand, but when he moved it away I could see traces of blood.

He was sick, I noted. Though, I had no obligation to heal him. He and his comrades had turned their swords on me.

_Because of a misunderstanding. _I heard my consciousness say. I decided to ignore it though and I tried not to heed its protests or insistence that I should help. What If I got caught?

Without looking back, I left.

However, I could feel the pull on my body, telling me to go back. Telling me to go aid those in need.

* * *

So, I listened. I was aware at how dangerous and foolish this was, and yet I can't ignore somone who needs me to heal them. Even if they had threatened my existence, they were still good people. They did what they believed was best.

That night, as the moon came out, I spread open my wings, before flying to the Shinsengumi headquarters.

Angels were always thought to be beings of light. That we would appear on cloudless days when the sun shone bright. While we were creatures of light, we came out with the moon. The moon was mystical, and held its own form of light. It may not have been as warm and bright as the sun, but it was silent and calming.

When I finally reached headquarters, there were only a few men posted as guards, and I used the shadows to hide my presence while I tried to remember which room was Okita's. I had not been here for almost a year.

It didn't take long to find, and I entered the room as quietly as I could, as if I were a ghost. Okita was sleeping, though his face still held a slight expression of pain and discomfort.

Kneeling down beside him, I placed my hands on his chest where I could make skin on skin contact.

It was convenient since that was also where the illness resided.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and let my sense reach out, searching for the problem and withdrawing it from Okita. Slowly, I let my power take hold of the illness and saw the damage done to his lungs.

I healed all the damage until it was back to how it was meant to be. His lungs, now tough and healthy.

Taking more breathes, and concentrating on every single cell of the disease, I withdrew my power, and with it I took away his disease.

It was done. Okita's face was now peaceful, and his breathes came out strong. I smiled, glad to be able to help another who needed it.

As soon as I removed my hands and stood up, I immediately had a coughing fit. I took my hnd away, and it was covered in blood.

This was not good. The illness was more potent than I had realised. Okita made it seem as though it was still weak.

It was hard to breath, and when I had made it out the door, I collapsed making a loud thud.

Immediately, I heard shouts from those on night patrol.

I tried to stand again when another fit of coughs overcame me.

It was too late to run, and I could not fly in this condition.

Around the corner men came with their swords already unsheathe and pointed it at me.

I felt the cold steel of a blade against my neck.

"A night visitor? And who are you? I didn't realise I had such a fine female admirer." Okita chuckled from behind me.

* * *

**End. If there are any mistakes please do tell me. Thank you to any reviewers~!**

**SNEAK PEAK SPECIAL:**

Next Chapter:

\- Kazama reappears!

\- More misunderstandings? Will she be held prisoner? Or will they understand her intentions?

\- Her mother? Who was she?

Stay tuned ;)


	11. Chapter Ten

So, I read the reviews, and would like to thank everyone for bearing with me!  
Also I'm glad that my story has inspired the stories of other people! I've noticed there are now some stories with other creatures apart from humans and demons!

Its just, if there are demons, what about the creatures in the seas, the skies, caves etc~ ^_^

Also, apologies for the hiatus T^T.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

I STRUGGLED TO breathe evenly. I waited for what was going to come next, but what actually happened took everyone by surprise. There was a bloodcurdling scream, piercing the eerie silence of this night. Birds from a nearby tree took flight, the leaves rustled ominously as the branch they had rested on was disturbed.

Okita cursed under his breath and ordered the men to take me to a room and make sure that I didn't escape until he came back. When one of the men protested, he sent them a glare before telling them to stay with me.

The men then proceeded to drag me to a room before roughly pushing me inside, and shutting the door. Okita had already left to the location of the scream. I checked my surroundings, when I realised that the men were guarding the door to ensure that I did not escape.

It was a strange room, compared to what I had previously been used to. The mat on the ground was made out of dried grass, creating a simple pattern. The doors were paper screens, while small candles lit up the room, pushing back the shadows. I covered my mouth as I let out a few coughs, and when I removed my hand I saw more blood. The flickering candlelight's made the colour peculiar. From what had seen so far, all rooms in this time seemed to be created in the same fashion. As I continued to check my surroundings, I noticed that things were very symmetrical. The wall opposite to the door mimicked the same bulge of wood that…

Realisation struck me as I walked towards it hoping that it was what I thought it was. Another door.

This room had two doors, which was lucky for me. It seemed these men didn't know these headquarters that well. Perhaps they were new. I went to the other door, and eased it open as silently as I could. My lungs felt terrible and I coughed a few more times, before I suppressed it and slipped out the door.

I wanted to find a spot where I could take flight without being seen, so I wandered around a little searching for a secluded area. I heard distant shouts, and headed away from the sounds, until they were so faint, I could no longer make out what they were yelling.

I reached the corner of a building, and before I continued past it, I paused.

There were soft growls and light scuffles coming from the other side. The moon illuminated a figure and I could see their injured shadow making their way to the corner on the other side. They were slightly slouched, one arm holding onto another at the elbow. From that injured arm, I could see the shadowed extension of a sword dragging along the ground.

Immediately, I backed away from the corner, moving further into the shadows, where the light of the moon did not reach.

The shadow paused, and I saw the head move about as though it were an animal, sniffing out its prey.

I tensed, and instinct made my wings appear, ready to fly away to safety. However, the shadow abruptly backed off, and I could no longer hear it. The night was still too silent.

I let out my breath, not realising I was holding it, and my wings folded back into my skin.

Carefully, I inched around the corner and stepped into something warm. Blood. Glancing down, I saw that the floorboards were covered in it, eliciting its smell.

Trying to avoid the blood, I walked on the edge, creating small red footprints. Something warm and wet dripped down on me, but I ignored it for now. Pausing for a moment by the door to another room, where it seemed as though the injured person had leaned against, since there was a vertical line of blood. There was something strange about these tracks.

There was only one trail when I looked ahead, but when I turned around there were two trails, why would there be two trails then suddenly one?

Unless the person backtracked after realising they made two trails or …

I felt more warm drips. Slowly, with fear coursing through my, I reached back to wipe at whatever had dropped.

I pulled my hand away to see more blood covering my hand. No one ever looked up, did they? Not even the angels, who always used that saying to avoid the humans.

My eyes travelled up, and I saw something terribly wrong.

This was not a human, nor was it a demon. Its eyes were crazed, the mouth grinning in a grotesque way, while using its teeth to hold onto its sword. It had white hair like mine, but its eyes were a glowing, bright red. Blood was dripping from it, onto me and down the wall. It was crouched upside down above me, and in the split second that our eyes met, it lunged onto me shrieking and laughing, which somehow terrified me more than if it were to threaten me with words.

Its fingers, or claws ripped through my clothes and into my skin, along my stomach, and I screamed with it. I could not hear the shouts from Okita or his men, so I doubted if they would be able to hear me.

I struggled beneath its weight trying to push it off, but it bit into my neck, and my cries were cut off. I felt weak from the blood loss and using the last of my strength, I gave my all in the next shove.

The creature didn't even flinch. It was almost as strong as those demons. I went limp, and I felt nothing anymore. Suddenly, the creature above me stopped moving, its eyes no longer crazed. I heard it give off a moan that was either afraid or confused.

It looked up at me, and when our eyes met again, I saw the scared and muddled looks of a human's eyes staring back at me.

"W-where… am I?" He asked me.

I could barely let out a whisper, before I went unconscious, the scent of my own blood invading my senses as the last thing I remembered.

* * *

_I was sitting on a smooth, flat piece of stone, heated by the spring sun, and watched the stream in front of me as it coursed wild down to the waterfall. The sweet warm scent of cinnamon and vanilla hit my senses. I knew he was there before he had even announced himself. Yuki._

"_Mai~~!" He sang out my name._

"_Hello." I greeted him coolly, trying to act as calm as I could. _

"_Watch what I learned today!" He boasted excitedly. I turned towards him as he used his gift to create… My mask of coolness faded, and was replaced into an unimpressed grimace. _

"_A… Snow bunny?" I deadpanned._

"_No! Not JUST a snow bunny! A snow bunny..." He paused, for extra effect, "In Spring!"_

"_Oh that's pretty cool…" I tried to encourage him, before bursting out laughing. He laughed as well._

"_You know Mai, you should always laugh more." Yuki sat next to me on the stone now, and held out the bunny to me. I accepted it, and waited for it to melt, but it didn't. _

"_Sooo, why are you out here brooding? You're acting all mysterious just like Shiro does… Oh god, you're thinking of him aren't you?! Am I not good enough for you Mai?" He pouted at me. _

_Of course, it was just like Yuki to jump to conclusions, but sometimes I could never tell when Yuki was joking or when he was serious. I placed the snow bunny down next to me, and hugged him. Yuki, confused hugged me back, confused at my affection towards him all of the sudden. He stopped joking around and started to talk to me seriously._

"_It does feel suffocating I know…But what I had said all those nights ago, where I will create a sky for you to fly freely in, Mai… I mean it."_

_We stayed that way for a while longer before I moved back. The sun was just setting now, and I was always filled with amazement at seeing the colours that it could cast across the land._

_After that day, whenever I returned to that stream, the Snow bunny was always there. Whether it was the same one that was given to me that day, or if Yuki always replaced it, I didn't know._

_But, it was always there just as sure as the moon would always appear, and the promise he had made me that first night I tasted freedom._

_One thing I know for sure is that Yuki was serious when he had made me that promise._

* * *

**End**


	12. Chapter Eleven

For those of you who have noticed that I don't use suffix's (Such as –san, -kun, chan, -sensei, etc) it's just much easier to not add them in. Sorry, that is pretty lazy of me, and it makes it hard to judge the relationship between the characters (especially when the romance develops, and –san turns into –chan or no suffix at all, indicating a closer relationship).

**IMPORTANT: I wonder if anyone reads author notes… however, there will be a poll up shortly, allowing you guys to pick who Mai's love interest will be! (It should be up on my profile page!)**

(I'll give her time/moments with a few choice characters, for character development etc ~!)

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

SOMETHING COOL, AND wet slipped from my forehead as I sat up. The door to the room I was in was open, allowing the sunset outside to cast its glow into my room. It was slightly cool, as I had nothing on but bandages on my body. Apparently those demon like creatures could tear through the spider silk. I panicked slightly as I checked my wrist to make sure the gift from Yuki was still there; it was. However, a pang of sadness hit me as I thought about Shiro's comb. I relaxed, briefly wondering why the Shinsengumi were nursing me back to health rather than deciding to kill me like they had been trying to do for almost a year. At that moment, a girl ran in, whom I recognised as Chizuru.

"Thank god you're awake!" She exclaimed before running over to hug me.

Not having much experience with female contact, let alone female humans, I awkwardly hugged her back.

"Did you help me? Thank you… How long was I asleep for?" I asked.

"Yes I did. It was the least I could do after… You know... You were out for almost a week! I need to check a few things before I go and tell the others you're awake."

Chizuru then did a few things to check on my health, but I assured her I was fine, and told her how being an Angel I was able to heal similarly to a demon.

As soon as she left, I took a few deep breaths, pleased to find that my body had also healed itself from Okita's tuberculosis.

I settled back and waited, figuring out how to explain myself, when Chizuru reappeared with several other men. Amongst them, I saw Kondou, Hijikata, Okita, Saito, and Sannan. I assumed that the others were on a patrol.

Unsure of how I should act, I bowed my head and thanked them for taking care of me, and that I would be leaving as soon as I could.

Kondou, however looked somewhere between shocked and appalled. I kneeled down in front of me, bowing low and apologised to me. Hijikata and Okita didn't look too pleased about this.

"On the behalf of everyone here, I wanted to apologise about our conduct directed towards you. Without asking questions, and assuming the worst, we hunted you down and had even tried to kill you. Please, we are sorry. Forgive us. Also, it would be our pleasure to allow you to stay as our healer."

I sat there for a moment, surprised at his apology.

"Please Kondou, there is nothing to forgive. If I was in the same position I would have jumped to conclusions too. However, as you seem very insistent, then yes, it is fine. Everything was forgiven from the start, and also, thank you. I would very much like to stay here." I smiled softly, pulling him out of his bow. The others looked surprised, while Chizuru happily smiled.

I blushed slightly before continuing,

"If you all don't mind, I would like to get dressed before we talk any further…" I trailed off, gesturing to my current state of dress.

A few of the men blushed, before mumbling something about how they were busy anyway, and hastily exited the room. Chizuru stayed and asked if I needed any assistance. I nodded, glad for her help, as my limbs, especially my legs felt stiff and sore.

After dressing, the men returned to my room, including Shinpachi, Heisuke, Sanosuke, Inoue and yamazaki. They deciding to talk in here rather than their usual meeting room. They didn't beat around the bush.

"So…"

"Mai." I quickly interrupted, "my birth name is Mai."

"I see… So can you explain to my about… your race? Or species?"

I took a deep breath, knowing this may take a while. I explained to them about my kind, and about our past with both humans and demons. That there were many other races out there that didn't wish to be discovered, and if they were, their secret was kept well hidden. I told them about the abilities of my race and how my gift was to heal all wounds, but with the consequence of the wounds being transferred to me instead. However, I didn't tell them why I was here the other night as it seemed Okita didn't want his illness, or past illness to be made aware of, nor did he explain as he put what I said together, and realised that I came here to heal him. During my explanations, someone mumbled something about 'how that explained everyone who enters the forest coming out healthy'. Occasionally, they would ask me questions and I would answer to the best of my ability.

"So, are angels like.. The opposite of demons? Their like complete opposites but share so many traits!" Heisuke.

"So your ability to heal with touch is rare, but all angels are able to heal to an extent… with blood? That explains that… Rasetsu, he wa cured… he was human again. I guess since you're angel our secret isn't as heavy as yours…" Sannan looked intrigued, and was the one who asked the most questions. Yamazaki did ask to tell him more about herbs and medicines later though.

I then went further into the past explaining how I had been encased in ice for a long time, as I watched the last of my kind being wiped out by humans… I didn't continue after that, nor did they push me for any further details.

"So… After we complained about not letting a girl dress and entertain those kidnappers… We let a girl go and entertain them…" Sanosuke joked.

I smiled at his comment. Out of all the things to say, he said that.

Deciding that it was now late, we all retired to bed.

* * *

A few nights ago, the scent of angel blood had permeated through the night air, and alerted me to _her_.

She had returned, and to the Shinsengumi headquarters no less. It would be a pain to whisk her away from there.

I lazily lay back, resting against the trunk of a sakura tree, pink leaves scattering around me, and closed my eyes, the smell of the sakura bringing back old memories.

_A beautiful woman stood before father and I, as several other demons leered her way. However, she stood bravely amongst us despite knowing what we were. She held her head high, proud and confident. _

_"What brings you here, little angel?" My father asked her._

_"I have come to make a deal with you." The angel never faltered, and though her words wavered slightly, I admired her for her bravery. Not many male demons dared to speak to my father in such a tone._

_She smelled of sakura leaves, and something else… It was a pleasant scent, I noted. _

_"In exchange for leaving the angels alone… A peace treaty of sorts I suppose. The daughter that I currently hold in my womb, I promise to give her to you as a bride."_

_My father looked surprised contemplating for a moment,_

_"… Very well, but not a bride for me… My son," My father gestured to me and I stepped forward._

_"I accept." I said, knowing that a child born from an angel and demon exceeded the power of a pure blooded demon on many levels. Females were also very rare amongst demons, and a female angel, even rarer. _

_"One more thing though…" My father said, "You will bear me my own child, and if need be, if the angels are ever attacked, I promise to come to their aid." _

_I knew my father was lying in that statement. He didn't care about the others as long as he got the female angel, and a child born of angel and demon blood._

_"I accept." The angel nodded._

_From there, my father and the angel formed an agreement of blood. It was also agreed that my bride would not be given to me until she had come of age._

_Many years later the angel and my father secretly lay together, and a child was on its way. However the angel had died during birth, and the child with her. _

_When the angels were attacked by the humans, my father did not come to aid them, claiming the agreement was void due to the child dying. I never heard about what happened to my bride, but I believed she had perished with the rest of her species. _

_I believed that angel had made a foolish agreement with my father, but I could never decide if it was foolish… or brave. _

ASDFGHJKL

When I woke up again, I felt… Happy. Not quite content but I felt that today would turn out to be a nice day. The sun was bright, and the sky was a beautiful blue filled with a few, soft fluffy puffs of white. I didn't have to hide my gender like Chizuru did, since the night I arrived here the men who first saw me already knew I was a girl, and it was explained how I was highly practised with medicine, and would be the new doctor here. A lot of the men scoffed at that, saying something about how women couldn't be doctors. I didn't say anything and simply ignored their statement.

I crawled out of my bed, and made my way outside, where I heard some shouts, and followed it until I found its source.

Saito was rigorously training his men, and I watched as they slashed their swords through the air, shouting out each time the made the movement. Saito was a man of very few words, and since he spoke so little, and seemed so stern, I was a little afraid of him. I didn't know what he really thought about me, and then, there was the time he chased me through the forest and cut me.

However, Saito's training reminded me of Shiro, and how he would diligently train his men every day. I hastily turned back, getting ready to leave, when Saito noticed me and called me back.

"Yes..?" I hesitated unsure of what he would need or want from me.

"I noted that you were handling a sword that night…"

I was about to interrupt and tell him that, actually I had no experience with swords and the only thing I could do was hopelessly swing it around and hope I hit something.

An enemy preferably, but if it was a friend… well… accidents DO happen…

However, he continued,

"My men need some training with fighting against women. They may hesitate when faced with one."

He handed me a wooden sword and called forth one of his men, Kai to stand opposite me. He had black hair as dark as the night, but his eyes were a bright, green colour.

Ok… Well…

I was about to speak out when the man opposite me charged forward.

He certainly didn't have any issues with trying to attack a woman.

I pulled the sword up out of instinct to block his attack, which had a lot of force behind it, pushing me back slightly. It created a small trail in the sand.

Relentless, the man kept on attacking, and each time, he almost hit me as my block came up to slow against his onslaught. He pushed me back step by step.

The fight only lasted a moment, before finally, his next hit disarmed me, and he raised to strike again.

"Stop!" Saito called out, running in our direction, but the man had already swung the sword, and momentum was keeping it going. He would not be able to pull back his attack.

I braced myself, and used my gift, eliciting an invisible barrier that would shield me from the blow. I made it close to me skin, to make sure he would not realise that I was actually unharmed from the attack. I didn't know what he would think of it.

The sword made contact with my shield, a tiny distance away from making contact on my skin. Just subtle enough to make it look like it hit my skin.

The man was surprised at this as his sword hit the barrier, glancing off and the force of his blow against the shield made him take a step back.

Saito reached us then, and glared at the man, about to reprimand him but this time I quickly spoke up.

"That was my fault, I should have said something about not being able to use a sword… Besides this man didn't hesitate at all, and his blows were quite strong… He has a great teacher." I summarized.

Saito looked at me, and while all he seemed to have was a mask of indifference on his face, his eyes widened very slightly, that when he looked away I thought I must have imagined it. He praised the man, as I backed away, hoping that they wouldn't notice me leave. Unfortunately Saito did.

"Let me see your arm." He demanded, holding out his hand.

"I'm fine. I explained about my powers yesterday."

He didn't drop his arm, and instead grabbed my arm and inspected it just to make sure. After realising it was ok, he let go and walked back to training his men.

He may be a man of few words but he was a man who spoke through his actions. Just a little, I learned slightly more about Saito. Rather than leaving, I went over to the stone steps and say, watching the men train.

Saito glanced at me for a moment but didn't say anything.

I smiled to myself. He reminded me of Shiro a little.

Maybe creating a new family… wasn't impossible after all.

* * *

Later, after the men had finished training, and went off to do their other duties, Saito sat down beside me, joining me on the steps.

He didn't say anything for awhile and the silence felt awkward, but then without looking at me he asked me something.

"As an angel, Mai. You choose peace over conflict. Your gift… It lets you heal and protect… What do you think about someone killing another man? After they did the deed, if they were to flee… What do you think?"

I thought for a moment, briefly wondering why he would ask me such a question. I suppose with their job, a lot of killing does happen…

"Well… as an angel… Not all of us chose peace other conflict. Sometimes the best thing to do was become a part of the conflict." I paused waiting if he would say something. When he didn't I kept going.

"There can be many reasons why we kill, and the person who did the deed… Only they will truly know why, and we need to consider their reasons… Sometimes they may not even know why they did it. As to why they would flee afterwards, perhaps they were afraid, scared or confused."

He 'hmmed' and we stayed in silence for a little longer.

"You know… That doesn't mean that they're a coward. I think that they shouldn't allow it weigh them down or make them feel dishonoured for what they had done… But if they admit what they had done, and feel sorry for it, whether or not the man they killed was good or evil… I think a person like that is worthy of respect. The mistakes we make as a person lets us grow as a person." I finished lamely.

Saito looked at me and held my eyes for a moment before looking forward again.

"I see."

"I'm sorry." He said suddenly.

At first i was confused but then i realized what he was apologizing for. The time he had hurt me with his blade.

This time the silence wasn't awkward. It was comforting.

* * *

**End**


	13. Chapter Twelve

Next chapter! Another one may be released in another 24 hours or so depending on how busy i'll be!

I hope you enjoy this.

Criticism is appreciated!

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

AFTER MY ENCOUNTER with Saito, I took a short walk around the complex. He and someone else had been called to deal with some issue about men prowling the streets late at night. They weren't worried about these men in particular, but about those… monsters… Rasetsu that they were worried about. That is, these men continued to be out so late, they may be become victims to these creatures. It meant there would be a mess to clean up, and a potential for their secret to be revealed.

Sannan said that my blood was a cure asked if he could use it.

As long as it helped these men regain their humanity, I agreed.

My stomach growled though, and I noticed that I was starving having skipped breakfast. However, I didn't really feel like any types of fish or rice. I craved my own diet, and wanted the fruit from the forests.

I heard laughter coming from the direction I was heading in, and looked around, wondering where the source of the noise came from. I was able to spot 3 figures crouching low behind a bush. One of them I made out to be Heisuke.

He looked like the youngest captain, seeming to be around my age, and I decided to ask if he could take me out to the markets.

As I approached, the laughter stopped, and the 3 figures stiffened, before tensely turning towards me. When they saw me however, they relaxed. At least, Heisuke and Shinpachi did, but Okita continued to glare at me piercing me with a cold steel green gaze.

He abruptly stood up,

"Well, I'm off." He tersely announced, brushing past me roughly, causing me to stumble back a bit. The others didn't notice as they started to laugh again. I watched him walk away, not taking my eyes away until I could no longer see him.

Even though he had pushed my back, he still staggered slightly despite his larger frame compared to mine.

He wouldn't stagger like that unless…

Unless his body was still slightly weak from his disease?

I did fully cure him from his disease, but I was in a rush to leave that night, and didn't help his body to recover faster. He had been sick for a while, and that took its toll on his overall health. It would be another few days or so for him to feel strong again.

I wasn't too sure why Okita felt the way he did towards me, but I had a rough Idea why. Before I could ponder any further on it, Shinpachi and Heisuke interrupted my thoughts.

"Hey Mai! Come check this out!" Heisuke called to me, chuckling.

I cautiously approached them, not sure if they felt any hostility towards me. I didn't blame them if they did.

They seemed to both be at ease, and I felt a little more welcome. I noticed that they were huddled over a small, black notebook. Everytime they turned a page more raucous laughter would follow.

"What's that…?" I asked them, confused.

They both gave me a sly grin,

"This is Hijikata's Haiku poem book." Heisuke gasped out between laughs.

"Oh god, look at this one!" Heisuke slapped his knee, laughing aloud.

They started reading some lines out to me, and I noticed that Hijikata wrote many poems about blossoms, and plums and apricots. I took this into account, remembering that his katana had a blossom engraved onto it somewhere.

"This is so terrible!" Heisuke laughed, "Like, c'mon how cheesy can he get!?"

"AND he's meant to be our demon vice-commander! HAHAHA how misleading!" Shinpachi added in.

While I agreed that some of the poems were not so… great, others were actually well-written. Some words though I did not understand, and were unfamiliar to me, so I considered that they must be new terms of this era. Feeling a need to defend some of the poems, I argued back to them.

"Well, while I agree that some aren't not up to standard," Heisuke and Shinpachi stopped laughing and looked in my direction. Their mouths suddenly dropped open, and their eyes held a trace of fear.

I didn't realise that woman with a different opinion was something to be feared. I'd have to keep that in mind for later.

"I think that others are quite beautiful." I finished. Heisuke and Shinpachi didn't say anything. However, they swiftly shoved the notebook into my hands before running off, yelling that it wasn't them. I sat there confused for a moment, before I heard another person call out my name.

"Mai."

I turned around to see Hijikata standing over me, and smiled internally.

"Give me that notebook." He said sternly, holding his hand out towards me. I placed the notebook in his hands and he pocketed it.

"These poems… Did you write all of them, Hijikata?" I asked nervously. He gave me a stern glare as if daring me to laugh, before nodding.

"They're wonderful, although some of them could use some work. Although that may be because I didn't understand those ones." I smiled.

He looked surprised for a moment, before gently smiling back.

"When I have time on my hands, I don't mind showing you some more." He said.

"Really?" I was gad as it gave me something to do as well. I also needed to learn more things about this era.

"Of course." He said, crossing his arms.

As he was about to leave, I remembered what I needed and hastily called out to him again. He stopped, and turned his head slightly.

"I wanted to request a trip to the markets. For my own supplies."

"Hmm…" He thought about it for a moment.

"Souji is going out later today to purchase some supplies. I'll tell him that you'll be joining."

"Thank you."

Okita was not someone who I really wanted to go with. However, at least this way I can confront him about the issues we have between us, hopefully.

I gazed up at the sky again, and saw some clouds rolling in. What I had thought would be a beautiful, sunny day seems as though it would turn out to be cold, and terrifying.

I just hope that it won't turn out to be a storm.

* * *

This wasn't exactly going as well as I imagined it to be.

Before I had to leave with Okita, I came up with several scenarios in my mind as to what could happen. Right now, Okita was purposely walking at a fast pace, and my shorter legs could not keep up with his longer ones. They were also getting a bit tired, but I didn't complain since if I did, he might add that to the list of things to hate about me.

He was still chivalrous enough to hold onto the things we had purchased, and some trees on the road here bore several fruits that I was able to pick. It saved the small amount of coins I had left.

When we were at the markets,

I heard some laughter and looked ahead, seeing some children playing together. The two boys both teased the girl, and she glared irritably before stomping away. The boys exchanged a glance before running after her, each taking one of her hands in their own apologising profusely.

_"Mai!" Shiro called out. I peered out from behind the tree, hoping that our game of hide and seek wouldn't end with my loss. He was a few steps away from me, and I didn't want to move locations in case I made too much noise. _

_It was on rare occasions that Shiro dropped his strict façade, and played with us like this. _

_Yuki had always been good at hiding and didn't let me hide with him because then, Shiro would win the game faster. _

_There was no moonlight on this dark night, as the sky was obscured by many dark clouds. I felt a few drips on my head, and the rain got harder._

_I had always been afraid of the sound of thunder and the flash of lightning. I ran out from my hiding spot, _

_"Shiro!" I called out desperately. _

_He turned to face me as I reached out for him before leaping into his arms, and burying my face into his neck. He smelt of forest pine, a deep and welcoming scent. When I was with him, I felt like I was where I truly belonged, like at home. While Yuki was fun, Shiro was reassuring and strong. I had always felt that nothing could beat Shiro. _

_There was a rustle, and Yuki appeared._

_"It looks like this will be a heavy storm." Shiro said. "It would not be safe to fly under these conditions."_

_"Lets find a cave then." Yuki replied, looking at me pointedly. _

_Shiro grunted before making his way around. He had always been the best at navigating the forest._

_Before long we found a cave. Shiro put me down on the ground._

_"Stay with her. I'll go find something that we can make a fire with." He commanded Yuki._

_"Heh, like you have to tell me that."_

_However, as Shiro walked away, I held onto his arm, not wanting him to leave me. Whenever I was scared it was always Shiro who was the most reassuring. _

_He looked down at me, before sighing._

_"When you look at me like that, how can I refuse you?" He asked, before sitting next to me, placing me in between the two of them. I didn't answer and kept on shivering, leaning into him to try and gain some body heat. _

_I felt Yuki's warm hand hold my own, at the exact moment that Shiro took my other, still cradling me close. _

_The darkness in the cave concealed their actions from each other and I was confused as to what this gesture meant. _

_For some reason, Shiro and Yuki never held hands, and I never saw them hold hands with any of the other men. They did hold hands with children though. Did this mean that they thought of me as a child?_

_I didn't know. _

_All I knew, was that I felt reassured by their presence. _

_As the rain continued to pour down, and the rolls of thunder increased in its intensity, I had never felt safer than I had at that moment. I hoped the bursts of lightning wouldn't let them see what I could feel. _

_If only time could stop, and we could sit here together for as long as we wished._

I stopped in my tracks, as I realised that I just lost sight of Okita. I had wandered around daydreaming and had gotten myself lost.

I don't think Okita will come back for me, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt. It was getting darker quickly, as I tried to navigate my way through the maze of alleyways, when I felt the first few drops of rain.

It was a light drizzle at first, but gradually got heavier, and it soaked through my clothes, making them stick to my figure. The rain at my feet soaked through the sandals, creating a heavy drag on my sore feet and legs, so I took them off and held them. The water was slightly muddy and I cringed at it as it swirled around my feet and ankles, leaving darks specks against my skin.

Nonetheless, a small sacrifice in order to move faster to find Okita.

"Okita!?" I called out in vain. The rain was so heavy, I could barely see in front of me. I haven't spoken to Okita yet about how his health has been. His body was still recovering after putting in so much effort to keep him on his feet most days. I was worried that his body was still a little weak from fighting off his disease for such a long time.

There really was nothing to worry about, but I don't want him catching a cold.

A spotted the silhouette of a figure ahead, but the rain still blocked my vision. However, he was holding onto an odd shape, which I assumed to be a basket.

"Okita!"

However as I got closer several other silhouettes came into view.

The water at my feet was tinged with a pale red, and though it did not stain my skin, it was still warm.

* * *

**End.**

**Thank you to all reviewers!**


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Criticism is appreciated!

This chapter is mainly in the perspective of someone else!

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

THE SILOUHETTE DROPPED the basket, and it fell into the puddles around his feet, creating more swirls of red, then pink.

Swirls of vanilla and cinnamon, along with a sharp coppery smell invaded my senses.

In his other hand, he held a dagger, and the other silhouettes; about 2, faced me with an aggressive pose.

I faintly noticed the body of a headless man lying close to me, but I was too focused on the features of this man as he stalked closer.

"Ehh, you saw that did you little miss? I'm sorry but you shouldn't have seen that."

His voice was so soft, like honey but there was also something else in that one of his voice. It was like exhaustion or exasperation, I didn't know which. At the same time it sounded so familiar and yet, so foreign.

The rain still blurred his features, but I could see the way his dazzling white hair stuck to his skin, and those cool blue eyes that had always pierced through my soul. For once, I was at a loss for words.

"Y-yuki…?"

His eyes widened slightly, before narrowing into a glare filled with suspicion.

"Little miss, how is it that you know my name? I don't think I've had the pleasure of bedding you before."

He reached out to me and tilted my chin up, so we were face to face. He studied me, his eyes scrutinizing and roaming.

His fingers were as cold as ice, and still slick with blood.

"And if I did, I think I'd remember a face like this." He hissed, before roughly shoving me back.

I stumbled back a few steps, before falling into a heap. I felt cold and empty inside. Indifferent.

Yuki had still been alive, and he had not come to save me from the ice. He did not recognise me.

This face, and these eyes that used to look at me with such a hot intensity was no more. In its place was the look of a stranger.

"Yuki, we cannot have any witnesses." One of the silhouettes spoke up.

They had been so quite that I had forgotten they were there.

"You're right, such a shame." He looked at me again, but there was no regret in those eyes.

"Sorry, little miss." He hummed, before striking at me with his dagger.

Years of instinct made my body jerk back, and I forced myself to turn around and run from this man I had once called brother.

* * *

It was strange.

This small woman, that just looked at me with such warm, familiarity. Most of the women who I spent my company with looked at me with hunger, as though I was a piece of meat.

At first, she was like an open book, her expression had been joyful before turning into one of confusion, then disappointment and sorrow. It finally turned into an indifferent mask, where I could no longer gauge her emotions.

She had known my name, and when she had called out to me, it seemed familiar, and made the beast within me roar with satisfaction.

But who was she?

Did she know me before I had lost my memory?

She looked similar to me, with pure snow white hair, except her eyes were so clear, with such a deep blue colour.

When I had woken up with no memory of anything but my name, and a single promise I had made I decided that to find my past, I needed to fulfil this promise.

I had many questions I wished to ask her before one of the demons I was working with told me to dispose of her.

I hesitated slightly, before attacking her, and it gave her a chance to slip out of my grasp.

Now, she ran several lengths ahead of me, her clothes soaked through, clinging to her body, revealing a beautiful figure beneath. She wore a simple bracelet, adorned with a single bell, and every movement she made with her arm, the sweet tinkle of the bell would follow suit.

If I was ever running from someone and needed to hide, I doubted that I would hide with her.

She quickly turned another corner, and I followed suit.

She ran rather slowly for a human female, but I didn't want to catch up to her just yet. Not until we were far enough from the demons.

Suddenly, she just stopped, and her legs gave out as she collapsed to the ground.

When I stopped beside her, she didn't look at me.

"Hey little miss? Are you alright? I promise to not hurt you." I said cautiously. Women were flighty beings after all. So odd and unpredictable.

I inched closer to her, when she abruptly turned, banging her head on mine.

"OWWWW." I fell backwards clutching my head as it throbbed with pain. Was she so angry that she needed to head-butt me?

"Y-you!" She exclaimed with a scowl, holding her head with one hand. I inwardly cringed, waiting for a string of profanities to follow. However, when nothing happened, where only the rain filled in the heavy silence I looked up ready to face the devil herself.

Instead, we were nose to nose and her eyes were wide, watery with tears, her mouth turned down.

I instantly panicked not sure if I preferred her to be upset or angry, though she looked adorable like this.

She started to cry, as more tears poured down her face just as hard as the rain.

"Uhm…" I wasn't quite sure what to do, and I didn't know what she was crying over, whether it was the shock of being killed, or me seeming to forget who she was. She could have just been jealous that I slept with other women that weren't her?

"You Idiot!" She started banging her fists against me furiously, and in any other circumstance it would have been comical. Each strike was as feeble as a kitten's strength.

"I'm sorry…?"

Just as she was about to reply, a roll of thunder momentarily drowned out the pounding of the rain.

The woman gasped, then immediately leaped on top of me, wrapping her arms around my neck in a steel grip.

"I…c-c-c-can't… Bre...a..th." I managed to choke out.

She loosened her arms, but didn't pull away. I hesitantly wrapped my arms around her waist.

"It's ok." I tried to sooth her.

She was shivering, and when she sobbed, her body shook even more. I awkwardly stroked her head, unsure of what to do with a crying female.

First, they're happy, then scared, sad, angry, scared…

Wait… Sob?

…

She was laughing.

Each of her laughs echoed through the alleyway as pure as the sound of the bell she was wearing.

I mentally added happy to the end of the list.

The rain eventually lessened, and there was only a slight drizzle, when the girl pulled back.

"I've missed you, Brother." She smiled at me with a tender gaze, her face still lightly streaked with tears.

Brother?

Then was she the same as me?

"Have we met?"

Her eyes that were full of laughter, looked sad again.

"So you lost your memory hmm…" She said, deep in thought.

"Hello, I'm Mai," She smiled, "It's nice to see you again big brother."

Then she went to explain what had happened.

Our past, the final fight with humans, and then what she had been doing after awakening from my ice.

I had no doubt she was telling the truth, since she looked so similar to me. Her story also matched the one that the demons told me, when I had woken up with no memories. The one with the attack from the humans. She knew my name, what I was, and what my powers were. Mai was also confused as to why I used a dagger rather than a bow since I had a high proficiency with it.

Her face fell again.

"Why did you kill that human, Yuki?"

My brotherly instincts kicked in, and I didn't want to see her sad anymore. I had only known her for a few moments and it seemed as though we had a brother and sister complex towards each other. She was still clinging onto me.

"I… and the demons I work with have been searching for these men who have been prowling the streets during the night… They are aware of our kind. Demons and angels alike." I explained, wanting her to understand.

I had been alone for almost 300 years, so I wanted to be as close to my only blood relative left.

I told her about how they had found me when I had lost my memories, and that one of them had come to save his bride who was in my clan.

Of course, without my memories I didn't remember anyone else, and couldn't help him save his bride.

"Ok, I won't ask for any more details. Even if I don't like killing, we all have our own reasons. I trust you Yuki." She smiled.

"I do remember this though…" I wasn't sure if this promise had been made to her, but I had a feeling she was someone who had meant the world to me.

"I promised to you, that I would make this world a place you can fly free. To make it safe for you… I've been…" I trailed off not sure how to continue.

Mai took matters into her own hands, grabbing my head and pulling it up so we were face to face once more.

"You remembered that?" there were tears again, but I think that, her tears today had all been tears of joy.

"Thank you, brother."

As she said that, she stared straight into my eyes, showing me how happy I had made her with my actions.

"Call me big brother." I teased.

**(Rather than Oni-san, he wants her to call him; Oni-Chan or Oni-tan)**

"… Brother."

I smiled before ruffling her hair and she blushed.

"Don't always expect me to meet all your demands." She murmured.

My little sister was too cute for her own good. I had a feeling that I'd be beating back boys, left and right, with a broom.

I wanted to ask her more about our past, where we lived and what she liked. I had so many things I wanted her to tell me, in so many stories to tell her.

We could be a family again.

Before I could ask, any other questions, a demon approached us.

"Yuki."

* * *

This demon knew my brother? But how?

"Kazama." My brother greeted coolly. His tone had gone formal, and was no longer teasing.

I regarded Kazama carefully, while he stared back. He didn't take his eyes off of me, as he spoke again.

"I was here the whole time. May I speak to your sister alone?"

Kazama was very direct, and certainly didn't beat around the bush.

I saw Yuki hesitate, and I held onto him, not wanting to let him go.

"If you come with me, I have something to return to you."

I considered his words carefully. What did he have, that belonged to me?

"Come with you, or just talk with you." I questioned, wanting him to clarify. I didn't want to get into an agreement because I was careless with words.

"Hmmm… Talk with me." He smirked, amused. Contemplating and weighing the pros and cons, I decided to go. I trusted my brother to come to me if I needed him. He was still Yuki, but this Yuki was more mature and wise.

I love both.

Pulling out of his arms, was one of the hardest things I had to do, after thinking that I had lost him. He gave me a reassuring smile.

Kazama held his hand out for me to take, but I ignored it standing on my own.

After Yuki walked away, and told us he would not eavesdrop even with his enhanced hearing, Kazama started to speak.

* * *

**End.**

**Thank you to all reviewers!**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Criticism is appreciated!

Sorry for the long wait~!

**NOTE: Mai's name is pronounced like AI-shiteru. with an M in front. NOT MAY.**

NEXT CHAPTER WILL HAVE MORE OKITA and MAI Moments.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

I CAUTIOUSLY REGARDED the demon standing before me with his back turned. His head was slightly inclined, staring up at the sky. The rain had stopped and the clouds were parting, allowing the last light from the sun to shine down. The light from it reflected off the puddles, creating pools of liquid rainbow.

"Humans are so strange." Kazama began, as he continued to stare upwards. "This world is so beautiful, yet they continue to destroy it. They not only turn on their own kind, but they destroy other things in the process. Nature, demons, angels… None is spared."

I had never seen this side to Kazama before nor had I ever really spoken to a demon. I didn't even know him that well, but at this very moment he simply looked exhausted. Were Demon's as heartless as I had thought? Or were there more to them than they let on?

They valued strength above all things, therefore they wouldn't be allowed to show their true emotions. It would be considered a weakness.

It must have been hard to live and grow as a demon.

"So why," He continued, "Do you stay with them?" He finally turned around to face me, his expression giving away nothing about how he felt.

I myself, didn't know the answer to his question. I pondered over the reasons why I stayed with these humans, and why I felt the way I did towards them. I didn't think it was because I had lost so much that I didn't care anymore. There was something there but… what?

"I…"

In my mind, images of the past, and the present flickered before me, as well as images of a potential future. A future that I imagined that I could have.

I remembered the way the mercilessly cut down my brethren. These angels which I had grown up with, laughed with, and cried with. The way the light left their eyes as their life was stolen from them far too early.

But then… I also remembered the way humans interacted together. Laughing together, eating together, and protecting each other. The Shinsengumi protected Chizuru, despite knowing that she was of a different species. They shared moments together too, and were able to put aside their differences. Was that what made humans so unique? Their differences?

And in the future, I had imagined myself laughing with them.

"The actions of one human, does not define all humans."

Kazama stayed quiet, and simply continued to watch me. He cocked his head to the side, as though asking me to further elaborate on my statement.

"Demons are so loyal to each other, though there are some who betray their friends… Am I not correct?" I stared at Kazama, and his gaze did not waver from mine. I steeled myself and firmly made my next few points.

"Angels too… Without a doubt there are many angels who have fallen from grace. We all fight amongst ourselves, and against other species. But that's because, we don't fully understand each other. We sometimes misunderstand our own blood, and of course, we will misunderstand another species. Though in the end, we all value the same things… Strength, honor, love, family… These traits exist within all of us, yet each being is different. Wings, horns, weaknesses…"

Kazama's eyes widened, as mine softened and I gave him a small smile. Demons had weaknesses just like humans and angels. In the end though, each living being is different, and that was what caused the misunderstandings between us. It didn't matter whether one was human or not. No one can completely understand the feelings of another being.

"Yes, they have faults... But… We do too. Angels, Demons, and humans alike. None of us are perfect, and we all have our differences. However… I believe that this is what defines each of our races."

I didn't realise my speech had gone on for so long as it was dusk now, and the sound of chattering insects had started to fill in the emptiness of the night. The moon still has not shown her face though.

Suddenly, without warning Kazama moved quickly and my eyes could not adjust to his speed. I was pushed against the side of a building, and Kazama pressed the length of his body against mine, keeping me pinned there. My wrists were held above me with one of his hands, the other was wound around my waist.

"Hmm…"

His face was so close to mine, and I could feel his breaths caressing my cheeks. I was surprised when I caught his scent. It was very subtle, but smelt of wood fire and forests. It gave me a warm feeling, as though I was being embraced.

"So foolish, just like a human." He whispered, leaning close to my ear. He backed away from me, and started to walk away.

Just before he was out of sight, he paused momentarily. Although he turned his head slightly, I still could not see his expression.

"… angels, and demons too… Perhaps we have all been foolish…Goodnight, Mai."

He spoke in such a hushed tone, that I wasn't sure if I had correctly heard that last sentence at all. Then, he disappeared into the night.

I felt something in my hands, and when I glanced down, I say a familiar and much loved object.

Shiro's gift.

Clutching it to my chest, I called out to Yuki and waited for him to appear. I wasn't sure what to make of our conversation, but I did know one thing.

As his body was pressed against mine, he had felt very warm.

* * *

"Brother get off of me!" I cried out in an indignant manner as I felt Yuki on top of me. This wasn't exactly an ideal situation for me to wake up in.

"Awwwww Mai-Mai is so cuuuteeee~!" He exclaimed rubbing his face on my stomach. Annoyed, I tried to shove him back, but he simply held on tighter.

Last night, Yuki was able to lead me back to the Shinsengumi headquarters. As it turned out, there was a search party looking for me. Okita was scolded by Kondou for leaving me, but I told him it was my own fault for not paying attention. Okita seemed relieved when Kondou was less angry at him.

It had been a long night as I explained to them about what had happened and also about Yuki. I was surprised to find out that Yuki didn't actually work for the demons and freely did his own things. He said he would work with the Shinsengumi, as long as I was here, and most of them accepted him as they said they could use someone with his skills.

Kondou had to find a room for him, and he insisted on sleeping next to his 'precious little Mai-Mai'. However, it was unacceptable for an unmarried man to sleep with an unmarried woman, so he was forced to share a room with Okita. Needless to say, neither of them were very pleased… Okita was extremely angry until Kondou intervened. He really did look up to Kondou.

Pouting, Yuki promised to be the first face I would see in the morning and winked before heading off with a more composed Okita.

All of these events led to this very moment, with Yuki rubbing himself against me like some sort of cat. Certainly he had been touchy feely in the past although, this was more… extreme.

I gave an exasperated sigh, before surrendering to my fate. Though I was annoyed, I still felt… content. I didn't realise how many feelings I had been holding back, and how indifferent I had been to most things.

Yuki finally let me go and jumped up, pulling out several things from a bag I did not notice before.

"Mai-Mai ~~! (^0^)/" He sang, "Look at what your cool big brother got you!"

He pulled out a revealing, two piece outfit. Normally, angels did wear revealing clothes as it was more convenient to fly around in. However, the people of this time were quite modest, and I had decided to conform to their standards. This outfit… was far more revealing that what angels would usually wear however.

As I continued to look at the clothing in horror, someone just had to come in at that very moment.

"Yo!" Shinpachi came barging in. "I knocked, although I don't think either of you heard me since-" He cut of his sentence as his jaw dropped in surprise at the obscure piece of clothing that Yuki still held onto to.

"T-Tha-s" Shinapchi's whole face was red and he couldn't from a coherent sentence.

"Ahhhh~?" Yuki's face brightened as he saw Shinpachi, "What do you think? Don't you think it suits Mai-Mai?"

"I-" Shinpachi was abruptly interrupted as Sanosuke came in.

"Whats taking so long Shinpachi? Have you told them breakfast is ready soon?" He asked Shinpachi, swinging his arm around the other's shoulders.

"Eh? That's a nice outfit you got Mai, why don't you wear it and dance for me tonight?" Sanosuke winked in my direction.

Yuki's demeanour suddenly changed, and his voice went down a few tones sounding deeper.

"You know what? I don't think I'll let her wear this after all… Not in a house full of wolves." Yuki glared darkly, as Shinpachi and Sanosuke sweat-dropped.

"I guess I'll have to save this for when we're alone ~~!" He brightly cheered once again.

"GET OUT!" I shrieked at the both of them, now feeling quite embarrassed at Yuki's antics.

As they stumbled out, I slammed the door behind them before breathing out, and smiling to myself feeling more alive than ever.

A chapter may have ended, but I knew for sure that a new one awaits.

And this time, I'll be the one writing about my own path.

_Outside, Shinpachi and Sanosuke stood there surprised, as Yuki casually floated about. Of course, he made sure no one besides the division captains were around. The two Shinsengumi members were perhaps the first to see the normally composed and ladylike Mai that they knew, show another side of herself_.

* * *

After breakfast, I had cleaned up the dishes and took care of the laundry while Chizuru had taken care of the floors.

I was on my way to check the medical supplies as there was some mission coming up. I wasn't sure what exactly, but Kondou, Hijikata and Sannan were going to explain it to me after they got the full details.

I was surprised to see the door to the supply room open as the only people who generally used it were Sannan, Chizuru, Yamazaki and myself. It was rare for the others to use it as they normally came to us for medical attention rather than do it themselves.

I entered, and closed the door calling out to whoever else was in the room.

There was someone rummaging somewhere, and as soon as they heard me the sound stopped.

"You huh…"

I stiffened slightly as I recognised the voice.

"Okita…"

He walked up to me, like a predator stalking his prey. I wasn't ready to confront him about the issues between us, but this was probably a good time as any.

"Why did you heal me?" He glared "The problems I have are none of your business." He continued to come closer, and I backed away before being stopped by a wall. His hand slammed down next to my head, and I flinched.

No… I shouldn't be afraid… I had to fix the problems between us.

"You're right, I had no right to stick my nose into your business and cause you trouble. Nevertheless I wanted to heal you." I said, steadily looking straight into his eyes.

"What? So you want me to thank you for healing me, even though I didn't ask you for it?" He smirked. "So naive…"

"No." I replied, and he looked taken aback. "I healed you for my own selfish reasons, and for that I am sorry."

I ducked under his arm, and as he turned around I bowed. Standing straight again, I continued.

"Though, I am not sorry for healing you... Think of it this way, they won't know about your illness so you won't be held back. And now that it's gone, you can continue to live and to fight for whatever code you follow." I paused to make sure that he was taking me seriously. He continued to listen with a solemn face.

"I healed you because it is in my nature to help. I value life Okita, even though you may not. With that sickness gone, you can continue to stay by Kondou's side… Right?"

Okita looked at me up and down, as though he was reappraising me.

"Maybe you're not so bad after all, Kiddo. I really was going to kill you, you know?" He said, walking away to the door.

Hopefully that had cleared things up between us.

For now, Okita found his reason to live, and I was able to preserve a life.

* * *

"Whaaaaat?! Why me!?" My brother cried out, unamused.

"You see, we can't possibly put a lady in danger, like we did so recklessly last time. Since you look like Mai, I'm sure you'd make a wonderful looking woman! Besides, you were so against the idea of Mai going…"

The mission this time, was for someone to be an escort to a visiting Daimyo. Apparently this man had been involved in a plot to overthrow their Shogunate.

A lot of this made absolutely no sense to me.

Yuki was hushed into a room and was now currently in the process of being stuffed into a kimono. As the others chattered for a while, the doors finally opened and he walked out.

Silence greeted him.

"Well?" Yuki grumbled out.

Heisuke and Shinpachi immediately burst out laughing, whilst Sanosuke had his hand on his chin. "Not exactly…"

Okita gave a cat-like grin "How disgusting."

"What did you say, you brat!?" I'm a few hundred years older so have some respect!"

"Somehow, that makes it all the more disgusting old man." Okita smirked, as Yuki cracked his knuckles.

"His shoulders are too broad… and he's quite tall for a woman…" The others continued.

"Guess there really is no choice…"

"I had high hopes too…"

"Even though I'm against it…"

Finally they all sighed, and looked at me.

"…What?" I asked.

* * *

**End.**

**Thank you to all reviewers!**


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Criticism is appreciated!

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Chapter 15**

EVENTUALLY I AGREED to dress as an escort for the Daimyo, as I didn't want the duty to fall to Chizuru. I didn't like it when others had to put in danger when I had the ability to prevent that from happening in the first place.

It was quite late now, and I sat alone on the porch outside my room. Since no one was out at this time, I had opened my earlier wings so I could fly around for a stretch. It was quite refreshing, and I knew for certain that the feel of the wind against my body was something I would never get bored of.

I slowly leaned back and let my wings splay out beneath me, and they gave me a soft sensation that trickled down my back.

I was currently wearing a baby pink robe, with flowing ribbon like sleeves. The sash around my waist tied into a loose bow at the side, and it exposed my shoulders. The bottom of the dress melted into a sky blue colour that swished around as I walked. Yuki's taste wasn't so bad after all.

I closed my eyes and relaxed my body, feeling a light breeze teasing the ends of my hair. The moment did not last long when some footsteps alerted me that I was not alone.

Opening my eyes, I saw Saito next to me, looking down at my form.

"May I join you?" He politely inquired.

I didn't answer but instead, I inclined my head. He kneeled down next to me, as I sat back up with my wings still unfurled. Suddenly feeling conscious about my wings, I mumbled an apology while curling them in so they would no longer be visible.

"What for?"

"I don't think you, or other humans will feel comfortable if I let out my true form." I replied.

"Why is that?" Saito seemed like a very composed and frank person.

"Because people don't like seeing others who look similar to them, with strange attributes." I blushed, further folding in my wings.

Saito however, reached out and held onto them, preventing me folding them in further.

"I don't mind them." He looked at me directly, with an earnest expression. I sensed no lies in his words. I smiled, feeling more comfortable with my wings out.

"If it is not too intruding… may I ask why you have forgiven humans, despite what they did to you in the past?"

"It's not that I have forgiven humans, I still feel sorrow when I think about their actions. Although you, and your friends and comrades have taught me that not all humans are the same. Besides, I'm sure those humans had their own reasons for doing the things they did. In the end though, I believe that humans are actually quite beautiful."

"That's where you're wrong Mai."

"How so?"

The way that moon's light danced across Saito's features made me suddenly realise something for the first time. Saito was actually quite attractive in not only personality, but also in looks. I felt something strange and dismissed my thoughts, as Saito continued to speak.

"Because I think that it is you Mai, who is the beautiful one."

Unable to keep eye contact any longer, I hastily turned away.

"T-thank you…" I trailed off, my face was feeling hot for some reason though I don't think I have a fever.

"There is nothing to thank me for, since I was simply saying the truth."

"Ahh… Right…."

"About tomorrow… Are you ready?" Saito asked, swiftly changing the topic, not giving me enough time to recover from his previous words.

"I'll do my best. That's all I can guarantee for now." I said, feeling nervous for tomorrow. Perhaps it was instinct, but I felt as though tomorrow was going to be more difficult than we had anticipated.

"Don't worry, because I will protect you."

My eyes widened slightly, as I looked at Saito again. He gave me a soft smile, before standing up again.

"Goodnight Mai, don't stay up too late."

"Goodnight, Saito."

After he left, the breeze that had felt so nice before, suddenly felt cold so I decided to turn in for the night.

That was the first time that a human had sincerely promised to protect me, and I knew with certainty that moment we had shared…

It would stay with me for the rest of my life.

* * *

"Is that clear then? Alright, you are all dismissed!" Hijikata barked out, as everyone all stood to go prepare for tonight's mission. Okita and I left together for the gates.

After breakfast, all of the captains, spies, Yuki and I were called in for a briefing.

I was going to act as the Daimyo's escort for the night. I was to gather enough evidence from his room that proved that he was going to go against the Shogunate. It sounded simple, though there were many things that could go wrong. For this morning until evening though, I was granted free time to go out and purchase the supplies I needed. Okita was going to be the captain closest to me, so if I was in danger he would be the first to arrive.

For some reason, this fact didn't make me feel at ease at all.

In order for us to solidify a plan, where we would know what signals meant what, Kondou decided that we should stick together for today. Hence why he was with me now. Okita didn't seem too opposed to it so I hope that he was ok with me now.

We walked together in silence to the markets, which was quite busy even this early in the morning. Yuki had given me a pouch full of coins, and told me there was much more so I could buy whatever I liked. I appreciated his gift, and had thanked him for his kindness, when he started to rub against me like a cat again. I didn't mind it, since it was nice to spend more time with my brother.

However, Saito said it was inappropriate and had abruptly removed my brother from me.

I tried to make light conversation with Okita, deciding to talk about something or someone he admired.

"Kondou is a really good man, isn't he? I can see why everyone admires him. I truly respect him myself." I started. Okita looked surprised for a moment, before smiling.

"Yeah. He really is, there's no one else like him." This was the first time that I had seen Okita talk with such an earnest expression. Normally his words were laced with sarcasm, or he'd joke around. This was a genuine statement.

"He's very fatherly, don't you think? At least, I think that's what a father is like."

"Kondou is like a father figure to me. He raised me since I was young."

I was surprised at this, but before I could say anything else, I caught a whiff of something strange as we passed this stall. The man behind was selling some type of round food. They were in a large array of colours, from whites, to pastels. Some were even decorated with a strange, dark liquid.

"Oh? Hello, young lady! Is there something here that catches your interest? Come come!" He beckoned me over excitedly, while Okita simply sighed behind me and followed.

"Would you like a few pieces of Dango? We have all kinds here! Oh, your husband can too!"

"Oh no, he is an acquaintance of mine." I corrected the man, who apologised.

"Isn't that a little cold Mai? Aren't I at least a friend?" Okita teased.

"I don't think I've had a friend before…" My voice trailed off, and Okita looked at me confused. Changing the subject, I placed my attention on the Dango.

"What does this taste like?" Curiosity got the better of me.

Suddenly, there was a commotion, and I heard the cry of a young child.

Turning, I saw a man on a horse about to run into a young boy around the age of 6 or 7. Okita was already running towards the child, but he was not going to make it.

Whipping into action, I made a prayer to nature, feeling a breeze form around me to propel me forward at a faster pace.

Overtaking Okita, I reached the young boy first, and cradled him in my arms and took the full impact with my own body. I grunted in pain, clenching my jaw shut so I wouldn't cry out.

A sharp pain immediately shot through my body, the side of my ribs and waist taking the most impact. The boy in my arms was strangely quiet by the time Okita reached us, and the man on the horse had gotten off to glare at me.

"You! Woman, how dare you get in my way?" He growled, as a slowly, and painfully stood up, holding onto the boys hand. Okita glared back, reaching for his sword, but I stopped him by putting my other hand out. He reluctantly listened to me. Giving him a grateful look, I focused on the man before me. Judging by his clothes, he looked like a high official.

"My apoligies, sir. The fault was all mine" I bowed down low, while the man stood back looking smug. When I stood straight again, he frowned grabbing my chin and pulling me towards him.

"For a common wench, you sure do have a pretty face. How about repaying me for that inconvenience with your body?"

I grimaced and roughly struggled out of his grasp.

"No, thank you." I calmly replied. Suddenly Okita burst out laughing.

"Ehh? Do you know whose presence you are in?" The man looked at Okita, and reappraised him. He wasn't wearing the traditional blue and white haori today, but the way he held himself still looked dangerous.

The man's face paled considerably before he took a few steps back.

"Mibu dog." He spat in disdain before giving me a look of disgust.

"Well, this dog has a bite." Okita's expression was challenging, as the man hopped back onto his horse and rode off.

A stumbled slightly, and Okita reached out to grab me, before thinking better of it, leaving me be.

"Thanks Okita." I smiled.

"Hmm? I'm going to be the one to kill you. Don't do something so reckless again."

"I'll try not to."

I knelt down to the boy, who had not uttered a sound at all. Taking a better look at him, I was surprised to see that he resembled a certain someone. Was he a demon too? The resemblance was uncanny.

"Are you alright?" I smiled at him, still holding onto his hands. He carefully regarded me, before blushing and looking away.

"Thanks… Big sister." I blushed. He was just so cute. It was as if I was seeing Kazama as a toddler.

"You should thank the big brother over there too." I gestured to Okita.

"… No thanks." He deadpanned, as he held onto me, and dragged me over to a seat. As Okita muttered something along the lines of 'this little brat'. I was pretty sure Okita was good with kids, especially when I saw him that time with two of them.

"Pretty sis, are you ok? What's your name?" He asked, sitting down next to me. "Nothing would have happened if the horse hit me instead." If it hit him instead? I doubted I'd let that happen anyway.

"I'm fine, and I'm glad you didn't get hurt." I reassured him, patting his head. He looked really sad and apologetic though. "My name is Mai, what's yours?"

"Kazama, Youichi!" He grinned happily. So they really were related.

"You don't have a family name, Mai?"

"No, not exactly. Although, I'm almost like you Youichi." I decided to give him a hint, since it wouldn't hurt if he knew. It was strange though, since I thought Kazama despised humans, so therefore his younger brother wouldn't like them either. He stared deeply into my eyes, trying to understand what I meant.

It seemed he understood after a while.

"When I grow up, let's get married!" he laughed, hugging me around my waist. I groaned out, wincing in pain as Youichi let go looking worried. I gave him a reassuring smile.

"What did you say brat? You're years too early to even think about that." Okita asked, punching the top of Youichi's head. I vainly tried to stop them from fighting, but they looked like they were having fun so I let them be. The dull thudding pain was slowly ebbing away, and I felt better already.

"Mai, I have to go now but I promise to see you again!" Youichi laughed, waving as he left. I waved back.

"He's so cute." I gushed. He was completely opposite from Kazama, it made me wonder how they got along.

"Reminds me of someone too much." Okita stated darkly.

We eventually purchased the items we needed and headed back to headquarters. Okita didn't say anything about my slow pace, and he matched his pace to mine.

His words may be full of sarcasm, and though he seemed to be quite sadistic, Okita also hid a thoughtful and kind personality.

* * *

**End.**

**Thank you to all reviewers!**


	17. Chapter Sixteen

I'm so sorry for how late this is.

Things came up, and I was so busy. I also didn't have the hear to write anything.

Thank you for following this story, despite how late I am.

**NOTE:  
I'm sorry that Okita get's no love this chapter. I'm trying to get more of his personality but I'm finding it difficult to try and capture that! I don't want to put him in a scenario that butchers his personality. So even if there is ALOT of Saito, don't worry you Okita lovers. There's still more of him to come yet!**

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Chapter 16**

AS I ENTERED the inn where the event was being held, I was hit by the scent of burning incense. They also gave off a faint glow, and made the interior of the inn look warm and welcoming. The wooden walls and paper sliding doors were simple yet refined. Earlier, when Chizuru was assisting me in dressing, she gave me a black wig so my white hair wouldn't stand out. She also used my comb to style the hair, saying that it would be more comforting to have it close.

She was right. Everything here was foreign to me, this being the first time I have entered this inn. I was also unsure on how I should address the Daimyo. I hope nothing will go wrong. Even if Okita was close, I should still be wary of what I do.

Earlier, Okita and I were going through the signals we could use to indicate the situation we were in. He told me to be more subtle in getting across my messages but Yuki said I should just shout, which ended with them fighting again. When I ran into Yuki in the rain that day, he seemed rather cool and collected. It baffled me to see how he could be so childish now. In the end, Kondou separated them and no signals were created. I guess we'll just have to make things up as we go along.

The spy working at the inn nodded to Okita and escorted me to the room where the Daimyo was waiting. Already I could see the trays of food being carried in and out of the well decorated room. The soft sounds of an instrument flowed and I could see the dancing shadows of entertainers.

"Excuse the intrusion. This is Mai, and she will be here to serve you tonight my lord." The escort said above the raucous laughter and chattering of the occupants. The man I assumed to be the Daimyo turned from the man he was talking to, in order to face us. I walked in front him and bowed.

"Good evening my lord. I hope you are finding the festivities pleasant?" He eyed me with disinterest before replying.

"Indeed girl. Now Come. Pour me some sake." He boomed, holding his cup out towards me. The way he held himself made him appear powerful, and regal.

Taking a closer look at his face, his eyes sparkled with merriment and the wrinkles around his mouth showed his age. His face was kind, but his eyes were sharp and cunning. I didn't understand the importance of this 'Shogunate' that Kondou was so passionate about, though this man did seem dangerous. He went back to conversing with the man next to him and I sat there awkwardly, listening to their words. I doubt they would say anything about the Shogunate, though the effect of alcohol sometimes did lead to looser secrets.

"What do you think of Kyoto? My lord." For some reason I feel like I have heard this voice before.

"It seems peaceful as I have not seen many fights break out in my time here." The Daimyo replied, leaning back into a more relaxed pose, watching the dancer girls instead. I could tell that he was bored of the conversation, as it didn't breach any interesting topics.

"Ahh, well that is because you are new here, and have not had the displeasure of running into those damned Mibu dogs." He spat with disdain. "Why I was unfortunate enough to run into one earlier today."

I stiffened, a dreadful feeling forming in my stomach as I listened to the man continue. He was the official from earlier.

"They act as though they own the place! When I ran into the one today, he had an especially beautiful woman beside him, with the most unusual white coloured hair. Such a waste, bedding a Mibu dog, she is a dog herself."

This time, the Daimyo stiffened. "White hair?" He asked sharply. "That indeed, would have been a sight to behold." Realising that he had caught the full attention of the Daimyo, he elaborated further.

"Yes, with startling blue eyes. Perhaps she was a foreigner. Her son did look foreign though. He had the straw coloured hair of the westerners with red eyes. The husband was definitely Japanese though. Quite odd."

Did I look that old to be the mother of a child that age? Perhaps I should pause my aging now, just in case. I shouldn't look to be around 300, when I was encased in ice for most of that time.

The Daimyo chuckled at this. "I see, that is indeed interesting."

"In fact, her eye colour is the exact same blue as the girl tending to you now."

They both looked at me as I tried to smile normally, not letting my nervousness show through.

"Tell me girl, you have hair the colour of a Japanese, but blue eyes that are normally seen in foreigners. Are you a half breed?" The official demanded.

"Now now. The girl… er Mei, is nervous, can't you see?" The Daimyo defended. I was not expecting him to defend me, though he got my name wrong…

He turned to me once again, and I shrunk away under his scrutiny.

Suddenly, he rose up, and the rest of the room became quiet.

"Excuse me, but I think I will retire for the night." Peering down at me once again before he leaving he said, "You are excused."

As he left, everyone returned to their conversations and the dancing and music resumed. I decided to discreetly follow him, so I stood to leave. The official however, was now looking at me oddly. A red flush adorned his face from all the alcohol he consumed. He muttered something about similarities, but by then I was already halfway out the door.

I saw the Daimyo turn a corner at the end of the hall, and made my way in the same direction. I knew Okita was staying close by me, but I did not realise how close he meant, because as I was passing the stairs the led back down to the counter, Okita was already tailing me.

I didn't think having him close by would be reassuring, but in the actual situation it was. For him to already catch on to my actions, he was quite responsible when it came down to it. Either that, or he didn't want to disappoint Kondou, who gave him this responsibility. Maybe both. I didn't think he was being this responsive all for my safety.

Several turns later, as I stayed under the shadow of a tree in the courtyard, the Daimyo entered one of the rooms, firmly sliding the door shut. A candle was then lit and I saw his shadow briskly moving about the room. Searching through papers lying on a low table. He held onto one particular paper as he paced around. There was a light breeze tonight, and the night sky was obscured by smokey grey clouds. A few leaves fell, brushing against my body making me shudder. This whole night, my instinct has been telling me to fly and though I tried to ignore it, the feeling stayed strong.

Okita eventually joined me, and I briefed him on the events. Telling him all the details that happened when I was with the Daimyo, even though I didn't find much point to the man's conversation earlier. If we were to find something, I had a feeling it would be in his room.

"Okita, do you think you can create a commotion, long enough for the Daimyo to leave his room for a few minutes?" I enquired, as he looked at me curiously with that cat-like grin adorning his face.

"Hmm? What are you planning?" He cocked his head to the side.

"Those paper's hes shuffling through. They must be quite interesting for him to leave his own party so abruptly just to go over them."

Okita nodded.

"I think so too. Very well, I'll do my best but be quick. I don't know how long I can keep him occupied." He replied, before leaving my side.

Moments later, I heard a few shouts before someone ran towards the Daimyo's room. After a few exchanges of hushed whispers, they hastily left.

Immediately, I ran from my hiding spot and swiftly entered the room.

The floor was cluttered with papers, clothes, travel supplies and several other things I didn't recognise. For a Daimyo, one would think he would be more orderly.

I blew out the candle, so my shadow would not be seen from those walking by the room, giving my eyes some time to adjust to the darkness. Without any light from the sky, finding anything would be difficult.

Shuffling through the papers on the table, nothing seemed to be incriminating. At least, from the text I could understand. It was mostly numbers, so I guessed that was matters of money.

Others were drawings of maps, and of the few things I could read, they were letters from family members.

Switching my search to the scrunched papers on the ground nothing stood out, and a few minutes later I decided that my time was up so I turned to leave when something else caught my eye.

It was small bundle of light silvery scrolls with unassuming designs, lying under the travelling supplies. However, the subtle glow that the silver material of the scrolls gave off, was not unassuming at all. I reached out to grab one, unrolling it to see what it contained, waiting for my eyes to adjust its focus on the paper.

I froze as I realised the script was written in the language of the angels. This man, was obviously aware of our existence. Not just angels, but demons too. It seems he hasn't encountered other races though.

I scanned through the document, wondering what it said. It told of the common features that angels possessed, of our wings, and much more. It also included the gifts wielded by angels, their life spans and…

I dropped the scroll as a feeling of dread crept up my spine. That can't be…I felt chills run across my body, and my hands were shaking as I picked up the scroll once more, wanting the information I had just learned to be false. If not, then… How long has Yuki been using his?

_"The life span of an angel is indefinite. However, it has been discovered that the gifts of nature, wielded by the angels hold a cost. Every time an angel taps into their power, a type of exchange is made in order for them to utilise this power. That is, a piece of their life force. By using their powers a countless amount of times, as the years go by the angel will undoubtedly die. At first, their powers will weaken and eventually so will their body. This consequence will not be told to the angels, for surely they will stop using their powers once they know. After all, no creature is able to transcend the embrace of death."_

\- Written by the Lady of Light, and edited by her two sons; Sir Shiro, and Sir Yuki.  
Year 1583.

Suddenly feeling cold, I shakily rolled the scroll back up and returned it to its place, grabbing another one.

The bang of the door sliding open made me jump, and I hastily placed the scroll in my clothes. Turning, I felt dread at the expression I would see on the face of the Daimyo.

To my relief and confusion, it was Saito that stood in the doorway. Why was he here, when he was posted outside the inn?

"Mai!" Without explanation he strode over to me and grabbed my wrist, pulling me out the door with him.

"S-Saito, wha-"

I was silenced with his hand covering my mouth as he pulled us around a corner down another path. He pinned my body tightly to his, and I could feel the planes of his stomach pressing against my back. It wasn't a bad feeling, or a good one. Rather, it was something different and my face was also feeling hot. I must be coming down with something. It has been a while since I've caught a cold.

With his other arm around my waist, he carefully edged us further down the path before stopping completely. I heard footsteps, and the voice of the Daimyo as he grumbled under his breath. I felt grateful that Saito arrived when he did, regardless of where he was supposed to be.

When it was quiet once more he released me and strangely enough, I missed the feeling of his arms around my body. His forehead crinkled as he peered down at me.

"Are you ill?" He asked, leaning his forehead closer to mine before pausing. Instead, he settled with the back of his hand.

"No, I was just a little panicked. I thought you were the Daimyo."

"Sorry, I did not want to treat you so roughly, but there was little time. Come lets meet with the others."

This time, it was not my wrist that he held on to, but my hand.

For some reason, I had an odd feeling that Yuki would not be pleased.

* * *

**End.**

**Make sure to read the Note at the top!**

**Thank you to all reviewers!**


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**NOTE:**

**Sorry! I have been so busy lately and just couldn't find it in myself to write anything. But now I'm back! Thank you for your support and patience!**

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

IT HAD BEEN a week since we infiltrated and found the Daimyo's documents, yet we were no closer to finding out what his true intentions were, especially with the addition of supernatural beings. He was still residing in the capital, but had made no movements yet. Surely my disappearance was suspicious.

I had told Hijikata, Kondo and the others everything as much as I could, recounting every detail of that night.

Well, almost.

I didn't mention how Saito came to get me nor did I mention about the limitations of an angel's powers, as was written in the document. I also didn't know how to approach Yuki about what I had read. Would it be worse if he remembered, or would it be worse if he had forgotten?

With this document, only now am I realising the severity of his amnesia, and I wonder how much he has forgotten. He has always tried to limit me from using my powers, and even now he still does.

Which brought up the question.

Did he remember? And why did he not tell me? He saw the document, and while I may not know him as well as I once did, I know that he could still read and understand it. My heart felt like it was being squeezed.

"There you are, Mai. Sannan told me to tell you that he was searching for you."

"Ah, I see. Thank you, Chizuru." I stood up and dusted myself before leaving, when I felt someone's arms encircle my waist.

"…Chizuru?"

"Whenever I'm sad, having someone hug me like this makes me feel reassured. Mai, I won't ask why but please, don't look so sad."

It was strange, did I not look sad when I had first met her and the Shinsengumi? There was no reason why I would be feeling sad now, not after I've found something that's so much like a family. Something that I could protect and hold dear.

"Thank you, Chizuru. Though, really it's nothing." She smiled at me, her brown eyes emulating the warmth of that smile.

Leaving to find Sannan, I wondered.

Here in this place, humans, angels, and demons, we are able to live together under one roof. If such a thing like this is achievable on a small scale, then perhaps it wouldn't be so farfetched to think that it can be achievable on a large scale.

A world where one isn't discriminated because of their race, where all creatures could exist in harmony. But, where would one even start?

Reaching Sannan's office I knocked and waited for him to call me in. The room was kept clean and everything was placed carefully on shelves and racks in an orderly manner.

"Chizuru told me that you were looking for me?"

"Yes, Its about those blood samples for the rasetsu cure." He replied, not looking up from the concoction he was currently mixing in a small bottle. "Please, be seated and I'll be with you in a moment."

Even though my blood could cure these rasetsu, I still felt helpless since even Yuki's blood would be a cure. Then again I'm not even sure if he would allow them to take his blood let alone mine. I always thought that we had shared everything together.

"Sannan, I have given you several samples of my blood already, but how will you use my blood as a cure?" I would give as much blood as I could to help these members of the Shinsengumi, but what I wanted to now was how much he would need for it be work. Sannan finished what he was doing and placed it aside, taking a small needle and some alcohol before coming to me.

"I suppose as it is your blood I am taking, I shall tell you. It may be an ill omen to hide what I plan to do with the blood of an angel."

"I didn't take you as the superstitious kind of human." With a small smile gracing his face he replied.

"No, I'm not. In regards to your blood, I am not sure of the concentration needed to reverse the effects of the ochimizu. Instead, I've been giving it in small concentrated doses, as a vaccination and as a pill. I think the effects are different depending on how your blood is administered."

"I see, and how are the results?"

"For some reason it is more effective when it is ingested, rather than when I administer it directly into the bloodstream."

"Have there been side effects? I'm worried since, our blood may be a miracle cure when ingested however… To put it into the bloodstream would mean you share our blood. Wouldn't they then inherit our abilities?"

"I don't quite think… inheritance works in that way." He cleared his throat.

"But the blood is shared."

"Well, yes but- Oh, I lost track of the time, I just remembered I have something to do. If you'll excuse me. I'll see you later at dinner."

"Sannan? Sorry, I guess I kept you. Until then." I bowed my head and left him. I was too curious though I wondered how else someone could inherit another persons' abilities and such. Then again humans and angels would be different in that regard, as we were separate races even though we took on similar features. Like a rabbit and a hare.

Wandering around the complex, I felt restless with not much else to do. Being kept locked within the confines of my clan, I had learned patience. Having freedom to even walk around to the point where I was bored, I don't know it that's a good or bad thing.

After a while though I saw Saito and Okita heading out of the complex. Most likely for their patrol shifts. I was walking past when one of them called out to me.

"Mai, we were just heading out. You can come with us, but just don't get in the way." Okita called out to me, before striding out the gate. I was surprised that they would let invite me to come with them, especially as they were already busy with their duties.

"Is it ok?"

"If it was not, he wouldn't have said anything." Saito said, smiling at me, and holding out his hand.

I smiled back, taking his hand as we walked out the complex. As soon as we were in the busier streets of the town, Okita had split off to patrol the west side, while we went east. Since it was so crowded, he let go of my hand. If Okita had noticed, he didn't say anything.

Even though I missed the warmth of his hand, I didn't mind as long as I could stay by his side.

"Has there been…" I hesitated unsure if it was ok to ask, but Saito didn't spare me a glance. Discouraged I decided not to ask when he spoke up, breaking the silence.

"News about the Daimyo?"

"Yes…If it's ok for me to know."

"I was wondering when you would ask. You are working with us now, so you should be more aware of these things."

I felt as though he was scolding me and felt ashamed. But why did I feel this way?

"Mai, you are one of us now, so you should know about these things. It's also safer for you to be aware rather than unaware."

I felt his hand move back to mine, giving it a soft squeeze.

"Don't forget that."

I blinked away the build-up of moisture in my eyes, hoping to dispose of them before any traitor tears could fall. If I could belong anywhere, here has never felt more right to me.

"Thank you."

This time he looked at me giving me a soft smile. When he smiled like that, the cold expression on his face was wiped away, thought it wasn't a warm expression.

It was intense.

"And Mai… Don't ever feel like you need to hide your emotions from me." My cheeks felt hot again. I think I need to see a doctor. Maybe Sannan has been taking out too much blood.

"Then in return, I ask you to do the same." I replied, capturing his eyes with my own.

"Naturally."

I couldn't hold his eyes anymore, and had to look away. This time, I reached out to grab hold of his arm but the moment was interrupted.

"Pretty sis!"

I looked around for the source of the voice before feeling someone grabbing hold of my waist.

"Youichi?" His arms were shaking slightly and on closer inspection, I saw the wounds on his body.

"Who did this to you?" I asked calmly, kneeling down to his level.

"I don't know, it was a group of strange demons. Okita helped me. You have to go and help him now. He saved me and so I-"

"Demons? You mean men who were cruel like demons?" How could anyone want to hurt a child?

"No… True demons." Worried, about Okita and Youichi's condition I hugged him closer to me.

"Where are they?" Saito's powerful voice commanded.

Pulling out of my embrace, Youichi pulled me along as Saito followed, running as fast as we could.

"They are in one of the alleys, I'll show you."

* * *

**End.**

**Thank you to all reviewers!**

**And thank you for your support!**


	19. Chapter Eighteen

And here is the next chapter, posted as soon as I could to thank you once again for your support and patience.

**NOTE:**

**This chapter is for Okita, and I tried my best portraying these two together (even if its just a small scene).**

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Chapter 18**

HE WAS COVERED with many injuries and yet he held his ground against 5 demons, his back was to us as we all arrived. I stood in front of Youichi as Saito stood ahead, and unsheathed his sword, covering my form with his.

"About time Saito. You're late." Okita grinned. While he sounded confident, I could tell he was also relieved that we had arrived when we did.

"More playthings? This is turning out to be more amusing then I thought. They even brought a woman with them." One of the demons mocked excitedly.

"I love it when they scream." Another replied as the rest roared up with laughter.

While the ally was narrow, there was enough space for everyone to move without being hindered. An odd stench came from one of the corners. From what I could see looking ahead, there was a faint light coming from the end of the ally, meaning that if we were to run ahead, it would not be a dead end. I could smell a fresh breeze from that direction, free from the smell of humans and constructions.

"Youichi. You know where the Shinsengumi headquarters are?" I asked softly.

"Yes."

"You have to go to them and ask them to send us help, alright? Can you do that for me?"

"I will."

"Good boy." I smiled, patting him gently on the head as he gripped my hand tightly.

"Mai you should go with him." Saito said, with his head slightly turned.

"No, I'm staying with you." It may have been a trick of the light, but before he faced forward again his face seemed slightly red. Since he was been around me so often, I hope he didn't catch what I did.

"Oh? What about me, Mai?" Okita piped up.

"And you."

"Just don't get in my way." He laughed.

"Of course."

For demons to gather like this and attack Youichi, surely he had something they wanted, if they didn't kill him straight away. Though, if they truly wanted him why did they let him escape before, and fight with Okita? Then again, these demons seemed like the type to prolong the suffering of their victims. I had many questions flying through my mind, as these things simply weren't adding up.

"Now!" Saito shouted, as the demons rushed towards us, while Youichi dashed off. Saito and Okita both took on two demons as one headed towards me.

"Move aside, girl. I will play with you later."

Saying nothing I stood my ground, blocking his path and keeping alert for any sudden movements.

"Hmph, very well. You're quite beautiful for a human. Pure white hair, and eyes deeper than the sky, your looks are quite unusual. It's a shame. I don't usually attack women like this."

The demon lunged at me as I created a shield, and I could feel the force of the impact as he and his blade collided with it. If I had been a moment slower I would have been at the receiving end. The sound of blades meeting blades echoed through the dark stillness of the alley, as Okita and Saito both skilfully kept up with the demons. They may have been mortal, but they stood their ground.

Surprise showed clear on the face of my demon as he re-evaluated me.

"Human you may be, but it seems there is more to you than meets the eye." Lunging again he mercilessly attacked the shield around me, as I did my best to fortify its strength.

This narrow space was hindering us all, though if we moved to a larger space I was sure that Saito and Okita will be at a higher advantage.

I felt useless. All I could do was hold against his attacks, yet I had no weapon to fight back with. When I came up with a plan.

"If this is all you can do, how do you expect to fight on equal grounds with a man?" I taunted, as I moved past his side and headed to the other end of the ally. He gave chase, and while I was now used to walking around, I only hoped that I could reach the other side before he got too close.

Passing Saito and Okita, they both gave me brief glances. One worried, another amused. I gave them a gesture to follow me, and Saito immediately listened without questioning me as his 2 demons gave chase. Okita however, hesitated before bringing up the rear.

"Women, they are all the same. Run as fast as you can. Resisting makes it all the more enjoyable."

He was underestimating me, which was lucky on my part. As long as he played around with me, then we would reach the clearing before long. I may be able to fly for long distances, but running was a different type of exertion altogether, and already my lungs were burning for air.

The scent of a fresh breeze and water grew stronger, and I finally burst into the clearing followed by the others. The demon behind me was still slashing his sword in wild arcs, and my shield was starting to waver.

Growing agitated, the demon snarled at me before giving one more brutal slash.

"If this doesn't work then…" He turned eyeing the others.

Okita was starting to grow tired from the fight, while Saito was doing his best to keep up attacks from two fronts.

The demon eyed Okita and left me to circle towards him. A predator closing in on its prey. I followed.

"Okita!" Just as I called out to him, the demon leaped forwards while Okita turned. I created another shield but realised my mistake too late.

It was a feint.

While the demon leapt towards Okita, he spun around mid-air to face me once again. I skidded to a stop, trying to create a distance between us, but this time I was too slow.

He thrust his sword at me and I felt the ice cold blade slice through my shoulder. Only a gasp escaped my lips, but the pain was still terrible. The strike broke my concentration and the shield I created for Okita was shattered. Had it been a little lower, the blade would have entered my heart.

"Mai!" Saito yelled. He sounded… distressed, but he had no reason to be. He seemed to be doing fine on his own. It was too presumptuous of me to think that the source of his distress was caused by me. There was no way that he…

That he what?

The sword was pulled back and the demon shrieked with glee. Immediately, I covered the wound to try and stem the bleeding.

"Hahaha, how foolish you-"

Suddenly the demon froze, and his nostrils flared. Licking his lips and then the bloodstained sword, his hard, calculating stare eyed my wound.

"An Angel? You didn't even make a sound. Angels really are resilient." He laughed as the other demons stopped their onslaught to watch us. Some with curiosity, others with hunger.

"I haven't tasted angel blood for a long time, but how could I have not seen it… I suppose I couldn't smell it before because you had the scent of a human male all over you."

"A human male?! Mai! You should only have my scent all over you."

"Yuki!?" My brother stood, half submerged within the shallow waters of the pond. It had a small waterfall hidden behind some bushes which created small rainbows through the air, making the whole pond look like it was shimmering like gems. The droplets of water running down the planes of muscle on my brother's chest made him seem to shine along with everything else.

"Drawing my sister's blood demon? I won't let you get away for that." He said in a low voice. Yuki's face was expressionless but I could feel the hostility emulating from him, and though it was not directed towards me, my body quivered. In anticipation, fear, or excitement I did not know. What I did know was that this Yuki was much more familiar.

His possessions were lying on the bank, yet he moved fast grabbing his weapons and covering his lower body. While Yuki was holding his bow with an arrow notched and ready to fire, Saito took this opportunity to cut down one of his demons, and backed up in my direction. Okita was also quickly tiring.

"I would show you so much more sweet sister, but I doubt I can teach you when we have company." Yuki winked at me, before glaring at Saito's back.

"Show me what?" I asked curiously. The pond was beautiful and serene, though I guess there was more to it than I could see.

"I'll teach you when we're alone. I'm not an angel who likes to share."

Before, the strength of these demons combined in pairs were not nearly as strong as Kazama when he fought alone, though I am sure they are stronger than a rasetsu. However, the addition of Yuki certainly made it easier.

"Go help Okita." Yuki said to me, while he notched more arrows. Yuki may not show it well, but he too was fond of some of the humans in the Shinsengumi.

"I'll try, but he's not so weak that he needs my help." I responded earning a chuckle from Okita.

"I'm glad you think so highly of me. I guess I can't let you down now."

After Yuki took care of my demon, he went to help Okita, just as Saito finished off his final one, and came over to me, checking my wound.

"It's ok."

"Does it hurt?" I shook my head as his hands ghosted over it, afraid to touch it anymore than this.

Already, there was a scab over it. Thinking quickly, I created another shield, and just before the last demon was killed, I pulled it up before the killing blow could hit him. I then made another one, this time tightening it around the demon like a steel band, restraining his movements.

"We can take him in for questioning." I explained when the others gave me questioning glances.

"Well done, Mai." Okita complimented me. "Deciding to take you along today wasn't such a bad idea." He signed before slumping down.

Yuki and Saito went to take the demon back to headquarters, while I offered to stay and help Okita, and to catch up later. Reaching out, I went to inspect his wounds.

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You don't want these wounds to get infected. We were fighting in such a dirty place." I insisted, pushing his hands to the side, and placing mine over his wounds.

He relented and allowed me to start healing him. I felt warm blood flowing down parts of my body, as every cut I closed on him, ripped another through my skin. Each one varied in intensity, where some of them stung, and others throbbed. The whole time I made no sound.

Suddenly, my hands were firmly gripped and Okita nudged me away.

"Stop, Mai." I was about to protest when I realised he wasn't looking at me but at the cuts appearing on my body. I couldn't understand the look he was giving me.

"A girl shouldn't have so many scars on her body. I'm fine now, let's go back."

"Their already healing." I assured him.

Standing up, I was about to follow when one of his arms snaked behind my knees and the other, around my waist.

"I can walk!"

"I can't let a girl walk around looking like this." As I was about to reply I realised something. This was the first time Okita touched me without any hostility.

I had expected him to say something like, 'If I let a girl walk around like this, Kondou would scold me.' Maybe he didn't hate me so much after all.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure." I smiled.

* * *

**LATER**

**No POV**

Reaching the complex, Okita was greeted by Sanosuke and Heisuke.

"Woah, is Mai alright?" Heisuke asked worried. Sanosuke's brows furrowed as he held his arms up to carry her himself.

"No, she just fell asleep." Like a little kitten, Okita thought, as he unconsciously pulled her away.

"You should take her back to her room. The demon the others brought back is being interrogated right now." Sanosuke replied, stepping back. Heisuke watched their silently watched their exchange.

Leaving them, Okita headed to her quarters. She was able to heal him, while holding that shield on the demon over a long distance?

At first he had thought her to be a nuisance or a liability, doing unnecessary things that did not concern her. He had only put up with her since Kondou accepted her and took her in.

Overtime however, she was growing on everyone. There was something about her that drew them to her. Perhaps it was her purity and kindness, or the serene air that made others feel content when they were with her.

Entering her room, Yuki was already there waiting. He did not say anything as Okita laid her out in the futon and wrapped her in the blankets. Instead, it was he that broke the silence.

"When are you going to tell her?" Okita asked.

"What do you mean?" Yuki replied feigning ignorance.

"That you remember everything."

"Heh… You're sharp. I see what she sees in you now. In all of you. When did you realise?" Yuki mused, as he stared blankly ahead.

"I wonder..." There was a slight pause, where it seemed like Yuki was going to say no more. Okita couldn't say he wasn't surprised when he decided to continue.

"After reading that document, everything came in brief glimpses, and then I just... remembered it all. You aren't going to tell her are you?"

"I think that's up to you. Though you should do it before I accidently say something." His lips curved up into a smile.

"All we have ever wanted to do, is protect her. But by doing so we kept her locked in a cage." He said softly. Females were valuable after all, but to Yuki and so many others in their clan, Mai had been that and more. Even if she didn't know it, she had slowly charmed her way into all their hearts.

"You let her have her freedom, allowing her to explore things on her own while also watching over her. You are able to protect her while she is outside of that cage." Perhaps Mai no longer needed Yuki to protect her.

"Perhaps I should leave her in your care." He finished.

It was quiet outside, and the light of the candle was dimming as the wick and wax were running low. However, the light from the moon outside gave more than enough light to cast shadows, yet as sharp as they both were, they did not notice the lone shadow that stood outside.

* * *

**End.**

**Thank you to all reviewers!**

**And thank you for your support!**


	20. Chapter Nineteen

Thank you for your continued support!

The animal mentioned in this chapter became extinct during the Meiji restoration. However, the colour of this one isn't quite accurate, though just think of it as a mutation.

**NOTE:**

**Wow, Saito was popular at first, then suddenly Okita shot up in votes XD.**

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

* * *

**Chapter 19**

IN THE EARLY hours of the morning, I had woken up clean and refreshed. Chizuru must have had taken care of me while I was tired out. I was grateful that she thought to help me wash up, though I wonder how she even managed it while I was unconscious.

No one else was around and the sun still had not risen. I left my room to take an early stroll, the quietness of the complex was not eerie, but it was unsettling. I had gotten used to the sound of clashing swords, laughter, and chatter.

The Shinsengumi didn't say anything about my having to stay in the complex all the time, so I decided to take my medical supplies and pack extra clothes in case the ones now were dirtied from exploring. I headed to the nearby forests to refill the supplies with what I needed. Around this time of year the plants should be in bloom and it was the perfect chance to gather and create some of the rarer medicines. I think I'll return before midday though.

Sneaking into the kitchen, I searched for something small to bring with me when I spotted a basket of persimmons on one of the tables. Someone must have bought them recently, as I had just finished up eating the last ones a few days ago. Whoever it was, I would thank them later.

With everything I needed, and doubting that anyone would be awake, let alone see me in the dim lighting, I let my wings stretch out and took to the skies.

My legs were getting less sore by the day, as I adjusted to using them, though I still preferred to fly.

It was much faster, and there were many things that I could see from above, compared to when I walked on the earth.

Reaching the forest, I landed in a small patch of flowers, already finding the first ingredients. I was careful to only take as much as I needed and no more than that. With each new season everything would grow back, and replenishing supplies would be fine. It would also be fresh to use. Taking too much makes the earth barren, and disrupts the balance of everything. There would also be less that grow back.

I heard a snap of twigs, and some of the bushes to my right started rustling. Alarmed, I flew up into a tree and waited.

A white snout emerged, followed by a pure white body covered in patches of blood. Its dark blue eyes were dull and clouded with pain. I could barely make out what it was and had to focus on it closely. It must have been young, no more than an adolescent wolf but it was larger than any wolf she had seen before.

However, it was strange for a wolf to be by itself, let alone living in this area. From what I knew, they were normally found further up north, or around the coastal areas.

It was limping, and seemed to be starved, from the way I could see some of its ribs.

My heart felt tight and a tear escaped, running down the side of my face, leaving behind a warm trail.

I flew down to her without thinking, and stopped when she started growling at me, eyes narrowed at my wings and her body posture, defensive. I decided to retract them to look smaller, and less threatening.

I hummed, and took slow, deliberate steps towards her. She snapped at me and I paused again, before taking further steps. I was close now, and if I reached out far enough I could touch her. However, she took a swipe and me, leaving a deep scratch on my forearm. I flinched, but I did not pull away.

That's when I heard the sound of male voices, carried over by the gentle rustling of the wind. The rough sounds were displaced and strange. Something that did not belong in the tranquil atmosphere of the forest.

"Where is it? Find it. That creature is an oddity. If we lose it, we lose the money. It would have been more valuable if you didn't go ahead and injure it."

"It was more vicious than any of the other wolves. Besides we were going to skin it anyway."

"Fools. It would have been worth more alive. It can be kept as an exotic pet. Hurry and find it!"

Their rough voices were getting closer now, and I could only guess that there were at least 3 men. The wolf still did not budge. It was getting lighter now, and soon they would be able to see us clearly.

"Please, come." This time, I backed away as she carefully stalked forward. Her ears were perked up and her eyes held my own like cold daggers. She was panting now, and each pant was growing more laboured then the last.

"There it is! Hey! What are you doing girl? That wolf is ours."

"Maybe we can sell her as well! Wouldn't she look good in a cage?"

Too late. I looked up as 4 men emerged from the bushes. 2 of them were armed and the others held nets and other tools I did not recognise. There was no way I could take all 4 of them on without giving away what I was. I would not leave this wolf behind, and even if I were to run, I didn't know how long I could stay ahead with the medical supplies weighing me down.

I knew that what I was going to do next would be a gamble, but I could only pray and hope that it worked out.

I took a leap forward, and the wolf immediately turned and snapped her jaws, biting down hard on my thigh, and biting down several times more. A small cry escaped my lips, and the men sprang into action, covering the distance between us. It may have been injured, but it was still strong.

However, the effect was almost immediate, and with a large amount of my blood flowing down her jaws and down my leg, her wounds disappeared and she stopped limping. Her leg had been broken and I was glad I didn't try to take that injury onto myself, and let my blood heal her instead. Her bite softened, and she backed away from me, whining. Her eyes were no longer clouded, but piercing. They held an intelligence that I didn't notice before, and looked so familiar that it made my heart ache more than the bites.

She turned around and carefully watched the 4 men surrounding us.

"What's going on? Does it take us as a bigger threat?"

"Smart animal at least."

"Careful now, somethings wrong with it. It's changed."

While they were distracted by her, I reached into the medical bag and started combining herbs and oil extracts. All four men were engaged with the wolf now and it was a vicious fight. For now, they were too occupied with it to deal with me.

When everything I needed was combined, I immediately start to grind it into a fine dust, and wrapped it in a thin leaf. The effect would not be as effective as when it was burned, but it would have to do.

Covering my mouth and nose, I aimed carefully as to not have it in range of the wolf, and threw it towards then men. The leaf unravelled itself, spilling its contents causing the men to cough, and their eyes to go watery. Taking advantage of this the wolf leapt forwards.

"No, stop!" These men were not good people, but that didn't mean I wanted them to die.

However, I was surprised when the wolf listened to my command and immediately stopped, turning towards me. Confident that she wouldn't attack, and while the men were momentarily distracted, I limped and held onto her, pulling her in a different direction.

"After them, don't let them get away!"

Moving as fast as we could, we weaved around the forest, trying to make them lose our tracks. With my injury healing slowly, we weren't going to outmaneuver them. Stopping I pushed the wolf ahead of me.

She didn't budge.

"You should go ahead." I said, knowing that she could understand me.

With a tilt of her head she stood beside me as the men caught up to us.

"Smart, but there's no way you can outrun us."

Moving closer, they disregarded the warning growls of the wolf, eyes focused on me, and raising their swords.

She stalked around them, but before one of them could strike down on me, another sword intercepted.

"Saito, Okita, you're up early." Their eyes twitched and Okita gave me a weary sigh.

"Since I woke up early, I went to check up on you and you weren't there. It seems Hajime had the same idea since we ran into each other. He had a feeling you would be here, and it looks like we came just in time."

"Sorry." I replied sheepishly.

"We'll talk about this later, Mai." Saito said, while Okita hummed.

The fight was over in moments, and Okita had one pinned beneath his sword, as the other 3 fled. They didn't stand a chance.

"Traffickers?"

The man's face was pale as he held his hands up in surrender.

"Please stop!" He begged, as Okita pressed the sword closer.

"If I ever catch you here again, I won't be so merciful." He declared darkly. This is the first time that I've seen Okita so threatening. It felt different from that time when he was intimidating me, like he was unrestrained or holding onto the edges of reason. Hastily nodding, the man scrambled away. However neither men sheathed their swords even with the threat gone. Instead, they turned towards the wolf.

Still she did not budge from her position, and started growling again.

"Wait!" Saito turned, leaving the wolf to Okita as I stumbled forward and wrapped my arms around his waist. He caught me as I slumped against him.

"Don't hurt her, she didn't do anything." Keeping the aggressive wolf within their vision, they both eyed my leg dubiously.

"Trust me."

Finally they both sheathed their swords, but they kept themselves alert. The wolf slightly relaxed her posture, cautiously making her way over to me. As soon as she reached me I started scratching her head.

"She?" Okita questioned. "That wolf is definitely male."

"How can you tell?" I asked back.

Sharing quick glances, they both didn't answer and hastily changed the subject. I'll let them off for now.

"Let me see your leg." Okita demanded, as Saito's face reddened slightly. Before he could grab my leg, Saito stopped him.

"I'll do it." He insisted, when the wolf growled at them both.

"I'm fine, it doesn't hurt that much anymore and is mostly healed. It's only dried blood. There should be a stream nearby, so I can wash off there."

"Which direction?" Saito asked, bending down to pick me up.

Walking where I pointed, they both scolded me for leaving so early without telling anyone. It was different from how Shiro and Yuki would scold me. When they would scold me, I felt properly chastised or ashamed. When Okita or Saito scolded me I also felt happy.

I think there is something wrong with me.

We reached the stream, and Saito carefully placed me down so only my leg was submerged.

The wolf trotted by my side, and dutifully kept its glare on the two men.

"You should find your way home." I suggested, unsure why he stuck by my side now. He turned his head away, purposely ignoring me.

"I'll help you."

Again he ignored me.

"I guess if I ask Kondou for permission you can stay… Though, convincing Hijikata is another matter entirely…"

This time, he nudged me and rubbed his cheek with mine. Behind me, Saito was going through the supplies finding ointments that prevented scarring as well as bandages, and clean clothes.

* * *

**ooo**

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"No. Absolutely not."

"Now now, Toshi, I don't see a problem with her keeping a puppy by her side. Most young girls adore them!"

"Puppy!? Look at that thing! It's almost the size of a small pony!" He spluttered, as the wolf tried to look as small as possible.

"He seems quite tame and attached to her. He'll be harmless."

"It's a wolf." Hijikate replied bluntly.

Saito, Okita and I had arrived back at the complex, and were currently in Hijikata's office. He had his arms crossed, and a frown was on his face. Kondou sat beside him. Saito and Okita were reclined on either side of me, with the wolf between Saito and me.

"I agree with Kondou. I think its fine to keep him." Okita piped up.

He was the one most opposed to it before, when we were on the way back and the wolf wouldn't stop following, no matter what he did. He scared me by telling me tales of the big bad wolf and how he would eat me while I was sleeping.

I gave him a bright smile, glad he was taking my side, even if it was for his own amusement at Hijikata's distress.

"Hajime, what about you?" Hijikata sighed, rubbing his temples. Saito gave me a brief look before answering.

"I see no problem with it. I think it protects her well actually." I let out a delighted laugh, and Saito's cheeks went slightly red, before he flicked his eyes away. I'll ask to give him a physical check-up later so I can keep an eye on his health.

"Very well then." The man relented. "However, he sleeps outside."

"What if he eats someone who's wandering around or on patrol that night?" Asks Okita slyly.

"He stays in your room at night, Mai."

"What if he attacks her in her sleep?" I could see Hijikata's patience on end, so I quickly interrupted before he would say anything else.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." I bowed to them all before exiting, the wolf following behind. Before long, Okita appeared next to me.

"Where did Saito go?"

"Miss him already? It's too bad, but you'll just have to be with me for now. I think he went to take a bath."

"I wanted to check up on him. I don't think he's been well recently."

"You think so? I thought it was quite clear he has a type of sickness."

"…Sickness?" My stomach knotted in worry.

"That's just my observation. It's better for someone with medical experience to check."

"Oh, ok." We sat down together in the shade of the porch in front of my room. Recently, Okita has been much warmer and for that I was grateful.

"Thank you, for coming when you did.

"You won't apologise? Everyone was worried you know."

"I'll apologise for leaving without telling anyone, so for that I'm sorry. However, I don't regret leaving. If I didn't, I wouldn't have saved this wolf."

"Just don't wander off to any place where I can't follow."

"Of course I won't. If I go too far, who'll treat your injuries when you get hurt?"

"Heh." I felt him place his hand on top of my head. "What will you name him?"

"I almost forgot. How can you tell that he's male?"

"That's not important. How about Arashi?" The wolf seemed to grumble at the name Okita gave him.

"I don't think he likes it."

"Sure he does."

Even though I just found him today, his proud posture, determination to protect, and confident personality reminded me of someone. Those eyes too, they were exactly like…

"Shiro."

"Arashiro?"

"No, just Shiro."

"Shiro it is. That suits him much better. Your brother, huh?"

Rummaging in the medical bag to search for spider silk, I took out Shiro's comb which I carried everywhere, and securely tied them together.

I gestured Shiro to come close, and he lowered his head so I could place it around his neck.

"Even though I named you after him, you aren't a replacement. I named you as such because all the meanings associated with this name, suit you."

Her brother and the wolf were two separate entities, yet both had the same fearless heart that never wavered, and eyes that seemed to stare right at your soul.

I had almost forgotten about Okita's presence and was reminded he was still here, as he placed his head on my uninjured thigh and closed his eyes. His hand gently rested on the other thigh, making sure that it didn't hurt me. As I was going to protest, he spoke first.

"You made me lose sleep, so just let me rest now. Think of this as your punishment."

Even though this was a punishment it didn't quite feel that way.

I felt feverish.

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**End.**

**Thank you to all reviewers!**

**And thank you for your support!**


	21. Chapter Twenty

Thank you for your continued support!

Did you notice? I think last chapter was the longest one I've written yet!

**NOTE:**

**This chapter will progress more with the main story with the demons and such ehehe.**

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

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**Chapter 20**

**SNEAK PEAK**

HE WAS STILL sleeping when Heisuke found me later in the afternoon.

"Hey Mai! I was- WOAH. Mai, watch out there's a wolf!" Startled, he stumbled back a few steps and placed his hands on his sword, as Shiro stood calmly between us.

"Hello Heisuke. Yes, I can see that. Its ok, Shiro is very friendly. Kondou said he's like a puppy."

"A puppy?! He's huge!"

"Compared to a pipsqueak like you, he is." Okita grumbled, sitting up.

"You were here Okita? And Mai is much smaller than me, so shouldn't you worry about her being close to it?" Heisuke snapped back, annyed at being called pipsqueak.

"It's ok because she's a girl."

"What did you need Heisuke?" I asked, to prevent their argument from escalating any further.

"It's about the demon we interrogated last night…"

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**End.**

**Thank you to all reviewers!**

**And thank you for your support!**


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